Chicken Meatballs With Red Sauce And Spaghetti Recipe 485

Steps:

• Preheat Oven 350 degrees: Place in a food processor the chick peas, parsley, garlic and seasonings and process. Cut chicken breast into cubes and place in the food processor; do not over process the chicken. Place the ground chicken in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and mix the chicken. Place the corn meal in a shallow bowl. Form the chicken into desired sized balls and roll in the corn meal. Place the chicken balls in a baking dish and drizzle with the vegetable oil. For one inch chicken balls bake 20 - 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Stir together the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and basil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes while preparing meatballs.
• Mix together the ground chicken, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Roll into 1 inch balls. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Add meatballs to the simmering pasta sauce and cook until internal temperature of meatballs reaches a minimum of 160 degrees F (72 degrees C), about 30 minutes.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the spaghetti, and return to a boil. Cook until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the cooked spaghetti.

Steps:

• For the sauce: Swirl the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the garlic is just lightly browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup water, and bring to a high simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the basil and 2 teaspoons salt and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
• For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Tear the bread into very small pieces and put it in a small bowl. Pour the milk over the bread, and let sit until the bread is soft, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the bread mixture with the beef, pork, Parmesan, eggs, onions, parsley, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and red pepper flakes in a large bowl, and thoroughly mix with your hands. Divide the mixture evenly into 36 mounds, and roll each into a ball.
• Brush 2 rimmed baking sheets generously with oil. Evenly divide the meatballs between the sheets, and roll them around to coat in oil. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, rotating the sheets halfway through if needed, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer the meatballs to the warm sauce, and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Let the meatballs and sauce cool completely, divide evenly among four 1-quart containers and freeze for up to 1 month.
• To reheat: Let a container of the meatballs and sauce thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Transfer them to a microwave-safe container, and microwave in 2-minute increments, gently stirring after each, until the meatballs are heated through.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, half the Parmesan, half the garlic, the egg and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir with your hands until combined. Using wet or oiled hands, roll into 12 to 14 meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter each). Meatballs will be very soft, but if they don't hold their shape, refrigerate until Step 3.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil, tomato paste, remaining garlic and the red-pepper flakes (if using) over medium. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is sizzling and fragrant and the oil is stained red, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, marinara sauce and 2 cups of water. Keep on medium heat and bring to a simmer.
• Gently add the meatballs to the broth and stir to combine. Add the spaghetti. Simmer over medium, stirring gently and often, until the meatballs are cooked through and the pasta is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. (Pasta will finish cooking from the heat of the soup). Turn off the heat, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and season to taste with salt and red-pepper flakes, if using. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan and red-pepper flakes, if desired.