I’ve been posting mostly vegan recipes, or at least vegetarian ones. However, ground chicken was on sale this time and I couldn’t resist. Meatballs are my go to when I have ground meat of any kind. This time was no different. Meatballs are so versatile and they can be made ahead and frozen. They’re the ideal meal prep food.

I didn’t start making meatballs till I moved to the US. My mom doesn’t eat meat, and she doesn’t like bringing it into the house. So we only ever ate chicken outside. Once I had my own kitchen, I tried making everything. It was a surprise that I never messed up meatballs. That’s how easy this recipe is.🤣

Servings: 4, Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• Ground chicken 1 lb
• Onion 1/2 medium
• Parsley 1/2 bunch
• Italian seasoning 1 tbsp
• Salt 1 tsp
• Ground black pepper 1 tsp
• Large egg 1
• Breadcrumbs 1/3 cup
• Canola oil 1 tbsp

For the spaghetti and sauce

• Tomato sauce 1 29 oz can
• White sugar 3 tbsp
• Salt as needed
• Ground black pepper 1 tsp
• Basil leaves 4-5 (optional)
• Garlic 5 cloves
• Onion 1/2 medium
• Dry spaghetti noodles 8 oz
• Olive oil 1 tbsp

Instructions

1. Finely chop the onion and parsley needed for the meatballs.
2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients for the meatballs (except the oil) and mix until just combined
3. Divide the mixture into 24 equal parts and make balls out of each.
4. Brush a cast iron skillet skillet with the canola oil and cook the meatballs on all sides until browned. Since these meatballs are fairly small, they cook very fast.
5. In the meantime, finely dice 1/2 a medium onion and garlic cloves for the sauce.
6. Add the olive oil to a saucepan and add in the onion and garlic. Sauté till fragrant, about 3-4 minutes
7. Add the canned tomato sauce, sugar, black pepper, basil leaves and salt. Mix and simmer the sauce for 6-8 minutes. Remove the basil leaves before adding noodles
8. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and add immediately to the prepared sauce.
9. Serve the noodles in a bowl. Top with 6 meatballs for each serving and a sprinkling of cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Tips

• I try to use organic no salt added canned tomato sauce. It is a little expensive, but healthier than the cheaper high sodium versions. In this recipe, I used a sauce with basil added. So, I skipped the basil leaves. There are also sauces available with garlic added. You can skip the garlic or reduce the amount if you choose to use this variety
• Please make sure to mix the meatball mixture just until combined. Over mixing can lead to tough meatballs
• I made mini meatballs, but you can also make larger meatballs. To make sure these are cooked thoroughly, simmer them in the sauce for 6-8 minutes. They will not cook completely in the time taken to sear the sides
• The meatballs can be cooked and frozen for up to 3 months. I recommend doubling or even tripling the recipe and freezing a whole bunch of these.
• The base recipe of the these meatballs is very versatile. I made these Italian style, but you can add any spices. Eg: Add cumin powder, paprika and cilantro for a Mexican style meatball. You only need to make sure the egg, breadcrumbs and chicken ratio remains the same!

I always stock up on meatballs when I see ground chicken on sale. Since these freeze well, it’s a good way to save some cash and make sure I have emergency food on hand when I don’t want to cook. I also freeze the tomato sauce mentioned in this post. I always end up making more than I need.😅 I hope you give this easy recipe and try and as always let me know how it goes!