Italian Style Meatballs

Name: Italian Style Meatballs
Cook time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 600 g 600g chicken breasts; 100 g 100g sundried tomatoes in oil, drained; 1 Large Bunch A large bunch of basil leaves; 50 g 50g parmesan cheese, grated; 4 cloves 4 cloves garlic; 0.5 Zest of Lemon The zest of ½ a lemon; 1 1 small egg; 40 g 40g breadcrumbs; 2 tbsp 2 tbsp sun dried tomato oil; 0 Salt and pepper; 300 g 300g orzo; 100 g 100g frozen peas, defrosted; 6 6 spring onions, finely chopped; 100 g 100g handfuls roughly chopped spinach leaves; 60 g 60g handfuls of roughly chopped rocket; 1 Juice of Lemon The juice of a lemon; 2 tbsp 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil; 4 tbsp 4 tbsp green pesto; 300 g 300g Greek yogurt; 2 cloves 2 cloves garlic, crushed

The perfect quick and easy chicken meatball recipe bursting with Italian flavors. This recipe is great for batch cooking or meal prep. The salad and yogurt accompaniment make it a complete meal.

By @johngs

Original recipe source

Cook time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

600 g 600g chicken breasts
100 g 100g sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
1 Large Bunch A large bunch of basil leaves
50 g 50g parmesan cheese, grated
4 cloves 4 cloves garlic
0.5 Zest of Lemon The zest of ½ a lemon
1 1 small egg
40 g 40g breadcrumbs
2 tbsp 2 tbsp sun dried tomato oil
0 Salt and pepper
300 g 300g orzo
100 g 100g frozen peas, defrosted
6 6 spring onions, finely chopped
100 g 100g handfuls roughly chopped spinach leaves
60 g 60g handfuls of roughly chopped rocket
1 Juice of Lemon The juice of a lemon
2 tbsp 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil
4 tbsp 4 tbsp green pesto
300 g 300g Greek yogurt
2 cloves 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180c (356F).
Combine the chicken, sun dried tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest, egg, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper in a food processor.
Blitz the mixture together for a few minutes until it is completely combined and very fine.
Wet your hands and shape the mixture into 16 meatballs.
Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.
Add the meatballs to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on two sides until golden.
Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and cook the meatballs for 6-8 minutes until cooked through.
While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the orzo according to package instructions until al dente, then rinse under cold water and drain well.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked orzo, peas, spring onions, rocket, spinach, lemon juice, sun-dried tomato oil, pesto, and season with salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt together with the garlic, herbs and a pinch of salt.
To serve, divide the orzo salad between four serving bowls. Add a big dollop of the yogurt mixture to each and top with the meatballs. Garnish with fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.