Yesterday afternoon I was in a bit of a food funk and had no idea what was going to be for dinner except that it should include ground chicken as it was thawed in the refrigerator. I was chatting with my sister Sue on Facebook and she suggested something she had made which was small chicken meatballs with a white sauce on pasta. I took that idea and ran with it, and when I noticed the pesto in the freezer I knew that this was going to be a winner. My husband absolutely loved this and it is now going to be a pasta regular around here.
My Sueghetti & Meatballs
Meatballs
1 lb extra lean ground chicken
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp chopped fresh sage (because that's what I have growing, but chopped basil would be perfect)
Sauce
2 tbsp butter or margarine
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
S&P to taste
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/3 cup basil pesto
*cooked pasta (enough for 4 servings)
*grated Parmesan cheese
To make the meatballs, mix all ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand and then form into golf ball-sized balls (I got 15 balls that size). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, flipping over half way through the cooking time.
For the sauce, simply melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add in the flour and S&P and cook for approximately 30 seconds. Add in the milk and whisk over medium heat until hot and thickened (about 5 minutes). Once thickened, add in the pesto and stir. Add in the meatballs and keep over the lowest heat to keep warm while the pasta cooks.
Serve over pasta and top with grated Parmesan and a big garden salad on the side. Easy, creamy (without the cream), quick and delicious!
Thanks sis!
I like your use of lean chicken mince for this dish. Very healthy and yummy!
ReplyDeleteOh, my, I'm very hungry reading this! Yum!
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe! Nice spin on the traditional meatballs, dont think ive ever had chicken ones :) gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I bookmarked this one and can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteLooks great. Following you from the hop and will be back to make this one for sure!
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday! I wanted to thank you for sharing this delicious recipe at Recipe Sharing Monday. The new party is now up and I'd love for you to link up again :)
ReplyDeleteThis caught my eye while I was looking at your desserts. Ha! Looks SO tasty and totally something my family would love!
ReplyDeletehttp://thebiggreenbowl.blogspot.com
I just made this! The meatballs were unlike anything I've ever tasted. I replaced the sage with basil (and didn't use worchestire sauce because I didn't have any), and they were out of this world. The sauce itself came out a little jello-y at first because of the flour, but I added more milk and fixed the problem. Next time I'm using less flour!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for a great recipe. Mmmmmmm!
It's crazy how different brands of ingredients can give different results... that's why recipes are just a guideline in my opinion :) I'm glad it worked out for you... my sister is still tickled that she got a dish named after her ;)
ReplyDelete