Description
These Italian baked chicken meatballs are juicy, full of flavor, and a healthier alternative to beef or pork. They’re packed with a variety of fresh and dried spices, which is the key to avoiding bland-tasting meatballs. I bake these meatballs instead of frying, which makes them an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Chicken Meatballs:
- 1lb ground chicken
- 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2 cup panko crumbs
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (I use Italian parsley)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Tomato Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 28-oz canned whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (or sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Fresh basil, for serving
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the meatballs. Add all the meatball ingredients to a large bowl and use your hands to mix until everything is combined. Do not overwork the meat mixture, otherwise this can make the meatballs tough.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop up a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture into the palm of your hands and roll it into a meatball. You may find it helpful to grease your hands with a little bit of oil to prevent the meat mixture from sticking to your hands. Repeat until you have all the meatballs formed.
- Bake the meatballs. Place each meatball on the lined baking sheet and spray each meatball generously with cooking spray (or brush with oil).
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are nicely browned, flipping halfway through.
- Make the tomato sauce. While the meatballs are baking in the oven, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the whole peeled tomatoes, 1½ cups water, dried oregano, dried basil, a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using), salt, baking soda, and balsamic vinegar (or sugar if using). Bring to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce or transfer the sauce, in batches, to a blender and puree until smooth.
- Bring the sauce back to a low simmer and add the cooked meatballs. Put the lid on the pot and gently simmer on low for 10 minutes.
- Make the spaghetti noodles. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.
- Drain, then toss with the pasta sauce and meatballs. Serve topped with fresh basil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese if desired. (If you anticipate that you’ll have leftovers, keep the tomato sauce and noodles separate instead of tossing them together).
Notes
- Air Fry the meatballs: Air fry at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Don’t have ground chicken? You can substitute with ground turkey.
- Make this dairy-free: Omit the parmesan cheese in the meatballs.
- To store: If you’re planning to have leftovers, I like to keep the pasta sauce and noodles separate. Let the meatballs and sauce cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It will keep up to 3 days.
- Can you freeze chicken meatballs and spaghetti? Yes, you can! Transfer the meatballs and sauce to a freezer-safe container and freeze up to six months. I recommend freezing it based on how many people you will be feeding.
- To reheat: Warm the meatballs and sauce in a saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop until warmed through. Toss together with the cooked spaghetti noodles. To reheat from frozen, let everything thaw in the fridge overnight and re-warm on the stovetop.
- Nutrition information is a rough estimate based on 4 servings.
- Tomato sauce recipe is adapted from the Italian Cooking With Nonna Cookbook by Giuseppe Federici.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 372
- Sugar: 8.7g
- Sodium: 1617mg
- Fat: 18.4g
- Saturated Fat: 5.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.6g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 25.5g
- Fiber: 6.1g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 149mg