An easy family dinner, this chicken meatball recipe is a great recipe to pre-prepare or batch cook.
This Chicken Meatballs recipe is one of the chicken recipes I have on high rotation for my family. My kids love meatballs and I love that this recipe uses fresh, healthy ingredients.
It’s a quick and easy recipe (just 15 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook) and it’s really versatile too – you can easily adapt it to include whatever vegetables you have in season. For example:
- Spinach may be used a substitute for kale.
- Add grated zucchini instead of, or as well as, the carrot.
- Passata may be substituted for the equivalent amount of tinned, or freshly chopped tomatoes.
- Orzo Pasta is a risoni pasta, rice works equally well.
My children are happy to eat vegetables and don’t mind spotting them in a meal but I would suggest you mince or pulse the kale and beans in a food processor rather than finely chopping them if you prefer to disguise the vegetables.
The chicken meatballs and sauce can be frozen if desired (without the risoni/rice) so I often cook a double batch to cook and freeze as I love feeling organized by having extra meals pre-prepared!
Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Serves 4
Save RecipeIngredients
- 400 grams chicken mince
- 1 cup carrot – grated
- 30 grams kale – spine removed and finely chopped
- 85 grams green beans – finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves – finely chopped
- Generous pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil of choice
- 900 ml passata
- 1 clove garlic - finely chopped
- 1 small brown onion – finely chopped
- Generous pinch salt
- Orzo (risoni) pasta
- Parmesan cheese or cheese of choice
Instructions
- Add the ingredients for the meat balls to a bowl and stir until well combined.
- Take spoonfuls of meatball mixture and shape balls the size of a walnut. Place each one on a plate until all of the mixture has been used.
- Using a pan that can be covered with a lid, heat over a medium heat.
- Add the oil, and then the garlic and onion to soften in the warm pan, stir occasionally.
- Add the passata and a generous pinch of salt and bring to a simmer.
- Carefully spoon the meatballs into the passata and cover with the lid, cook for 5 minutes on a medium simmer. Do not use a high simmer or you will evaporate too much of the sauce.
- Uncover the pan, turn the meatballs and cook for a further 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through
- Serve topped with parmesan, or grated cheese if the kids prefer.
For more easy chicken dinner recipes, check out this Chicken and Vegetable Pie or these Lemon Honey Chicken Skewers. Or for more great family dinner ideas, this Sausage and Rice Bake recipe and our super easy Fried Rice are dinner winners!
Do your favourite family meals change with the seasons? What is your current favourite?
Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
