Pasta with Chicken Parmesan Meatballs and Broccolini

Spring Has Sprung! Flowers are blooming, the sun is warming the earth, and I am cooking all the springy recipes, I can’t help myself. Spring is one of my favorite foodie times of the year. Fresh herbs are growing, early veggies are coming to the markets, and lighter meals make a comeback in my kitchen and we head into April and May! This Pasta with Chicken Parmesan Meatballs and Broccolini recipe is the best of all of the above, if I do say so myself 😉

Healthy, light, lemony, and full of flavor, Chicken Parmesan Meatballs bring a pop of freshness into the kitchen. These meatballs go very well tossed with pasta and fresh veggies like this Pasta with Chicken Parmesan Meatballs and Broccolini! See here for the complete Chicken Parmesan Meatballs recipe.

• 1 lbs ground chicken
• 1/2 onion diced fine
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted, rough chopped
• 1 lemon (zest)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp parsley chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Dice the onion, mince the garlic and zest the lemon. In a small sauté pan, toast the pine nuts until golden and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl add the ground chicken, onion, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, pine nuts, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and egg. Mix well to incorporate.
3. With a small scoop, make 24 meatballs and roll with your hands, arrange them on a foil lined, rimmed baking pan sprayed with cooking spray or olive oil.
4. Using a brush, gently coat each meatball with the olive oil or cooking spray. Bake for 18 minutes.
5. Remove meatballs from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite sauce or pesto over cooked pasta of choice.

If you enjoyed this recipe, I’m sure these others will tickle your fancy:

• Caprese Pasta Primavera
• Garlic Burst Tomatoes over Shrimp Zoodles
• Italian Sausage and Pasta Toss
• Linguine with White Wine Clam Sauce
• Roasted Garlic

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Print

A healthy take on a spring pasta dish, this Pasta with Chicken Parmesan Meatballs and Broccolini is full of fresh flavors everyone will love. Buttery Pasta, Broccolini, lemon, parmesan, and chicken parmesan meatballs come together to make a dish that is good any time of the day!

Ingredients

• 1 batch (~24) Chicken Parmesan Meatballs (see above recipe)
• 1 box linguini pasta (or bow ties, shells, or what you have on hand)
• 2 bunch broccolini
• 2 TSP Butter (optional)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• Lemon Juice, optional
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Fresh Basil and Parsley, roughly chopped
• Salt and Pepper

Directions

1. Bring a heavily salted pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to the packaging. When there are 2.5 minutes left on the pasta, toss the broccolini into the water to quickly blanch.
2. Drain pasta and broccolini when pasta is al dente, reserving a small about of the pasta water (to make a sauce).
3. Add in the butter, the pine nuts, parmesan cheese, EVOO, and the herbs. Season with salt and pepper and toss, adding pasta water as needed to loosen it up.
4. Plate pasta and broccolini, and top with more cheese and herbs! All the Cheese. Enjoy!

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