I love meatballs, whatever flavour they come in, but I’m not a fan of the mess they make on the hob! That’s why these spiced and baked chicken meatballs are great. A combination of Spanish and Italian flavours, with a hint of spice, baked in the oven, then tossed in a tomato sauce and served over pasta. It’s the perfect weeknight dish. And what’s even better is you can make extra and freeze them, ready for another night.
Why bake meatballs? Why not!?
If you’ve ever cooked meatballs on the hob, you’ll know they have a habit of rolling, sticking and splattering oil everywhere. Baking them takes all of that stress away. You simply shape the mixture, pop them onto a tray, and let the oven do the work. And let’s not mention the minimal oil you need and how much better it is for you.
Baking also means the meatballs cook evenly and stay lovely and juicy inside, without needing to be constantly turned. Increasing the potential to fall apart. While they’re in the oven you’ve got time to get on with the sauce — or just pour yourself a glass of something and enjoy five minutes of peace.
Spanish/Italian spiced combo
The sauce, which brings this dish together, is a classic Italian combination. With garlic, herbs and tomato doing most of the heavy lifting. Meanwhile, the chorizo, coriander, cumin, and chilli in the meatballs don’t overpower things. They bring a warmth and depth to the dish.
Chicken mince works particularly well here, providing a great backdrop for all the flavours. You could also do this with turkey mince.
Perfect for busy weeknights
Once the meatballs are shaped and in the oven, the rest comes together quickly. Toss everything together with pasta and dinner is done. And what’s even more great, is that you can double the recipe for another night. You can either freeze the meatballs in their raw state or already baked. Either way, you want to open freeze them on a tray and make sure they are not touching or sticking to each other. Then decant them into a container, and they’ll keep for up to 3 months. The same can be said for the sauce. So then all you need to do is boil up some pasta!
Other easy weeknight recipes
See below for other quick and simple weeknight, family-pleaser, recipes on the blog:
I have cooked the onions and the the garlic together to save some time (around 8 minutes). However, I’ve left the ingredients listed out separately if you wish to cook them as two individual dishes.
Instead, or as well as, the chilli you could add in 1 heaped teaspoon of smoked paprika to the meatballs. Finely chopped herbs would also be a welcome addition – parsley or oregano as an example.
The tomato sauce is a great way to ‘sneak’ in additional vegetables. Diced celery and carrots are always a winner. And if you want to be really sneaky, why not some grated courgette! Not only does it bulk out the sauce, making this dish go further, but it adds more plant hits to your week.
You can certainly switch to a more traditional Italian flavouring in the meatballs and use the same quantity of streaky bacon instead of the chorizo.
You can either freeze the meatballs in their raw state or already baked. Either way, you want to open freeze them on a tray and make sure they are not touching or sticking to each other. Then decant them into a container, and they’ll keep for up to 3 months.
Spiced and Baked Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- baking tray
- Large Casserole Dish with Lid
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 1/2 tsp dried coriander
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 dried chilli finely chopped (or use 1/2 tsp chilli flakes)
- 500 g chicken mince
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 50 g chorizo small dice
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 320 g dried pasta penne, fusilli, rigatoni (based on 80g dried pasta per person)
- parmesan to serve
- 1 handful fresh basil or oregano leaves
Tomato Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 1 pinch sugar
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. To save time, we'll cook the onion and garlic for both the meatballs and the tomato sauce together. Add in the 2 diced onions and cook for 6-7 minutes until softened. Add 2 cloves of garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes. Put half the mixture into the casserole dish and set it aside. Back in the saucepan, add small diced chorizo, cook for 3-4 minutes. Finally, mix in the coriander, cumin, and dried chilli. Cook for another minute. Put the mixture in a large bowl until cooled slightly.
- Into the bowl, add the chicken mince, breadcrumbs, parsley and some seasoning and give everything a good mix with your hands until well incorporated.
- With wet hands, shape the mixture into small meatballs. You should be able to make around 24 in total. Place them on an oven tray lined with baking paper and pop in the fridge for 20 mins to firm up.
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C
- Take the tray out of the fridge and spray the meatballs lightly with olive oil. You can of course drizzle them as well. Then place the tray into the pre-heated oven to cook for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, make your tomato sauce. Take your fried onion and garlic mix and set it over a medium heat. Add in 1 teaspoon of oregano and the tablespoon of tomato puree and stir for a minute.
- Pour in your tin of tomatoes along with the chicken stock, a pinch of sugar, and season well. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
- When the meatballs have had their 20 minutes in the oven, gently tip them into the tomato sauce and simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes.
- Cook the pasta of your choice according to the instructions. I like to add a large spoonful of the cooking water from the pasta into my tomato sauce just before it's cooked. Drain your pasta and add it to individual bowls, or one large bowl.
- Spoon the meatballs and sauce over cooked pasta and top with some fresh herbs and grated parmesan.
Notes
- I’m suggesting cooking the onions and garlic all together, then splitting them, to save a little time, but you can of course cook the two elements separately.
- You can certainly switch to a more traditional Italian flavouring in the meatballs and use the same quantity of streaky bacon instead of the chorizo.
- The tomato sauce is a great way to ‘sneak’ in additional vegetables. Diced celery and carrots are always a winner. And if you want to be really sneaky, why not add in some grated courgette! Not only does it bulk out the sauce, making this dish go further, but it adds more plant hits to your week.
- You can either freeze the meatballs in their raw state or already baked. Either way, you want to open freeze them on a tray and make sure they are not touching or sticking to each other. Then decant them into a container, and they’ll keep for up to 3 months.
