Today I suggest you try my warm and cozy family dinner of chicken meatball spaghetti with vegetables (I chose zucchini and red pepper this time.)
Cooking Romania by Vivi is my passion, and I love helping other people create delightful cuisine masterpieces while preparing food for family and friends. Every recipe on this blog has been tested and enjoyed fully. I have been helping my Grandmother cook since the age of 6 and I am still a fervent cooking enthusiast!
Tips for PERFECT chicken meatball spaghetti with zucchini and red bell pepper:
- Don’t fear the garlic! We, Romanians are obsessed with garlic, so recommending you use garlic galore comes to no surprise.
- Don’t forget to reserve a cup of spaghetti cooking water; don’t we all drain the entire pot to instantly realize we needed it for later, to loosen the sauce?
- Serve very hot.
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Chicken meatball spaghetti with zucchini and red bell pepper
Course: Pasta, Lunch, DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium4
servings15
minutes30
minutes500
kcal45
minutesIngredients
- For the meatballs
1/2 kg ground chicken (you can use a mix of beef, pork, Italian sausage – remove casing – for stronger flavor)
2 eggs
150 g breadcrumbs or bread soaked in milk (remove excess milk after soaking)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
150 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons parsley, oregano or rosemary (or a mix) chopped
salt, pepper to taste
olive oil for cooking
For the pasta250-300 g pasta
1 small onion
1/2 garlic head
1 medium zucchini
1/2 medium red bell pepper
1 medium or large tomato
1 cup tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes
1 tsp lemongrass
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp salt for cooking the pasta al dente
olive oil for cooking the veggies
Directions
- For the meatballs
- Knead ground chicken, mustard, eggs, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs or bread soaked in milk (soak for 10 min and then squeeze excess milk), garlic, parsley/oregano/rosemary, salt, pepper mixture by clean hand till evenly combined.
- Form mixture into balls (use wet hands).
- Cook in large non-stick skillet in olive oil until brown.
- Reserve 16 meatballs for the pasta, freeze the surplus.
- For the pasta
- Cook pasta al dente (8 minutes) in salted water.
- Drain the pasta.
- Reserve a cup of cooking water.
- Meanwhile chop the veggies and cook them in non-stick skillet until golden.
- Add the pasta and tomato sauce to the veggies and cook for 5 more minutes stirring gently. If the mix is too thick, add some cooking reserved water to loosen.
- Final touches
- Add the 16 meatballs, toss and simmer for a few more minutes until sauce thickens. I personally prefer not to cook the meatballs with the pasta as I like them super crunchy.
- Garnish with Parmesan and fresh basil leaves or parsley.
- Serve hot.
Remember!
For perfect chicken meatball spaghetti with zucchini and red pepper (or other vegetables, for that matter) just like in my recipe photo, remember the key things to do: lots of garlic, reserve cooking water and serve hot.
Here’s another easy and fast chicken recipe:
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