Whole Wheat Pasta Bake With Mini Chicken Meatballs

Mini Chicken Meatballs

Makes 28 meatballs 

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken

1 egg

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

4 garlic cloves 

¼ cup chopped parsley 

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

½ teaspoon Kosher salt 

½ tablespoons black peppery

2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup  water

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Oil a medium baking dish

Use a 1-inch  scoop and form mini meatballs . Place them on the prepared dish and bake for 45 minutes.

Add the chicken, egg, Italian seasoning, paprika, 2 minced garlic cloves, parsley leaves, and 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix to combine.

On a large plate, spread the remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs.

Form the chicken mixture into small balls (about 1 heaping tablespoon each). Roll them in the breadcrumbs to coat.

In a large nonstick pan set over medium heat, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan (about 3 tablespoons). Once the oil begins to shimmer, arrange the meatballs in a layer without touching. Sear, turning until each side is golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. (You do not need to fully cook the chicken meatballs at this point; they will finish cooking in the sauce.

Combine the remaining minced garlic, lemon juice, butter, and chicken stock in a microwave-safe measuring cop and heat until hot and the butter has melted,

Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cover the pan and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.

Pasta Bake

Ingredients

1 lb whole wheat rigatoni pasta, cooked according to pasta instructions.

Drain.

2 cups marinara sauce 

2 cups ricotta cheese

8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, your choice 

1 minced garlic clove

Chicken meatballs

Directions 

Season the ricotta with salt, pepper, herbs, and garlic.

Oil a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Spread ⅓ cup of marinara sauce on the bottom. Add ⅓ of the pasta. Top with half the mozzarella cy slices and then half of the ricotta. Add half of the remaining pasta. Top with ½ cup of marinara sauce, remaining mozzarella, and remaining ricotta.

Top with remains pasta and marinara sauce.

Place mini meatballs on top.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 59 minutes. Let test 10 mini meatballs before serving.