herbed quinoa chicken meatballs
serves 4
we like to use quinoa as a binding element in place of breadcrumbs for a lighter yet very filling chicken meatball. packed with fresh herbs, these meatballs are delicious over zoodles, banza pasta, or made into a meatball parm sandwich!
¾ cup cooked quinoa
1 lb. ground chicken
2 garlic cloves, grated
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 large egg
¼ cup chopped basil, plus more for serving
½ bunch scallion, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 16 oz not just pasta sauce
16 oz prepared zoodles or dried pasta
1. preheat oven to 425 with the rack in the middle position. in a medium sized bowl, combine the quinoa, chicken, parmesan, egg, basil, scallion, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix until fully incorporated.
2. divide the mixture into 12 even portions, rolling each portion into smooth balls with your hands. place on an aluminum foil lined sheet tray, misted with cooking spray, and bake for about 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through.
3. meanwhile, in a 12 inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. addd the zoodles and cook, stirring to break up the strands, until tender but al dente, about 3 minutes. once tender, remove from heat and place in a serving bowl.
4. to the same empty skillet, add the not just pasta sauce over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. off heat, add the cooked meatballs and toss to coat in the sauce.
5. serve over the zoodles with remaining sauce, parmesan, torn basil, and red pepper flakes.