Running Mama Cooks

Since I have some homemade sauce in the freezer, I think its a good day for pasta and meatballs! This Rachael Ray recipe has become my "go to" way to make meatballs, they are so tasty and moist. I usually cook with ground turkey breast because it is the leanest, but I love how the ground chicken tastes here.

Roast Chicken Sausage Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
Black pepper
2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds (I skip this because I never have them on hand)
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs, plus more, if needed*

Preheat Over to 450 degrees

In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, salt and pepper, rosemary, fennel seeds, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano - a rounded handful, egg and bread crumbs. *If the mixture seems too wet, add a handful of bread crumbs and mix together.

Form 8 large round balls, about 3 to 4-inches. Coat balls in a couple of tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and lightly grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange balls on the baking sheet and roast 17 to 18 minutes until juices run clear.

I adjusted the recipe for only 1 lb of ground chicken since there are only 3 of us and also added a handful of defrosted frozen spinach to sneak some veggies into dinner. I reheated my sauce in the crockpot and added the meatballs after roasting. Serving over cellentani pasta.

The meatball are hanging out in the crockpot as I type this. Cecily and I had to split one after it came out of the over because it smelled so good. She is already asking when dinner is (not typical for my picky 3 1/2 year old)!

Original Rachael Ray Recipe