Chicken Pesto Meatballs and Zucchini Noodles

CHICKEN MEATBALLS

with zucchini noodles and a vegan parsley pesto

 
pestochickenmeatballs
 

THE EASIEST CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

1lb of Organic Ground Chicken

2 tableSpoons garlic, minced

1 egg, whisked

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon of 100% pure organic maple syrup

1/3 cup of whole wheat unsalted breadcrumbs or panko

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon onion powder

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F

  2. In a bowl mix together all the ingredients except for the chicken. This is so you don’t over mix the chicken and get dry meatballs. No Bueno.

  3. Add in the chicken, and gently mix it in with your fingers. Be careful not to over mix. Just make sure everything is fully incorporated together.

  4. With your hands or a medium cookie scooper, roll the chicken into golf-sized balls. Evenly spread about 1 inch apart on a non-stick baking dish.

  5. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through but not over done. About 12 minutes test the doneness on one meatball. I use the scoop so they come out a bit smaller and take less time in the oven to cook.

I use the OXO good grips medium cookie scoop to save so much time. I scoop them into a mini muffin baking sheet. Love this method for meatballs! Makes it quick and easy. Here’s the link.

ALMOND PARSELY PESTO

1 bunch of fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, about 1 cup

3 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper chili flake

1 lemon, juice and zest

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (substitute with parmesan if your heart desires)

1/3 cup of sliced raw peeled almonds

½ cup – 1cup of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a Blender, or food processor, add in all the ingredients except the olive oil.

  2. On low, blend together the ingredients, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil so that it emulsifies and thickens the pesto.

  3. Add up to a cup or more for desired consistency. It will look thick, but it will loosen up when you cook with is. You can always add water to the pan as needed.

NOTE: I bought mini mason jars to store the pesto. I like making a big batch at once is I can store it in the fridge for when I need it. It’s also very versatile - great in wraps or sandwhiches, or on grilled veggies and chicken.


ZUCCHINI NOODLES

3-4 large zucchinis, washed and unpeeled

Directions:

  1. spiralize your noodles by hand or with a spiralizer

  2. leave them raw, they will soften in the sauce you make the in

  3. If you prefer them cooked and plain. Heat 1 tablepoon of oilive oil in a pan on medium high. Add the zucchini noodles for about 3 minutes and stir until they start to release water.

  4. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper

If you make veggie noodles as much as I do, invest in a veggie spiralizer.  Save yourself time, and if you have kids this is fun to do with them! It reminds me of pushing play dough through those fun gadgets back in the day. My mother would have preferred this over that mess any day.

Here’s the link to the one I have and love! You can prepare the veggies in different sizes and ribbons.

For my Pesto Meatballs and Zucchini noodles:

After you have cooked the meatballs and prepared the noodles and pesto.

Directions:

  1. Heat a skillet or pan to medium and add 3 tablespoon of pesto, or more to taste. Stir constantly over the heat.

  2. When the pesto becomes fragrant, Add in the meatballs, and stir for another 3 minutes

  3. Finally, Add in the zucchini noodles and heat through for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat

  4. Serve and Enjoy!

Entreésnazareth sanders