Basil Chicken Meatballs Parmesan
Looking for a make-ahead dish that everyone will love? These Basil Chicken Meatballs Parmesan are it! They're bursting with fabulous flavor and are perfect for weeknight family dinners and easy entertaining!
Servings: 8
Calories: 309kcal
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 2 strips thick-cut smoky bacon
- 3 medium garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes I love to use San Marzano crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped Kalamata olives
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
- kosher salt to taste
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
- ⅔ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for the pan and for drizzling
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
To finish:
- ¼ cup grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
- 6-8 ounces ounces fresh mozzarella balls or shredded whole milk mozzarella
For garnish:
- Italian seasoning
- fresh basil leaves
- toasted pine nuts
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Cut the bacon in half, lengthwise then cut into small, ¼ -inch wide pieces.
- In a medium-large sauté pan or braiser pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp and most of the fat has been rendered. You should have about 2 tablespoons of rendered fat. If it looks like more remove the extra. If it's not right around 2 tablespoons, add a little olive oil.
- Lower the heat a bit and add the garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook for another minute, stirring occasionally.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chopped olives, baking soda and black pepper. Stir to combine. Cook over medium-low heat (the mixture should be bubbling lightly) while you prepare the meatballs. (It should simmer for at least 30 minutes but longer is fine.)
- When the sauce has finished simmering, take a little taste. If needed, add kosher salt, if needed. Add the fresh basil and stir to combine. Set aside.
For the meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean-up and drizzle it lightly with olive oil. Rub the oil with your fingers to coat the pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. With your hands or a large sturdy spatula, mix until combined. Don’t overwork the mixture.
- Scoop up the meat mixture with an ice cream scoop (I make mine about 2½-3 tablespoons or 40g) and drop onto the prepared sheet pan. After all of the mixture has been scooped up, roll each portion into a round ball. If the dough seems sticky or hard to roll, lightly oil your hands in between every couple of meatballs. Space the meatballs out on the sheet pan.
- Drizzle each meatball with a little more olive oil and bake for 15-17 minutes. The meatballs will take on just a bit of color but don’t expect them to be golden brown. (They will be covered with sauce and cooked a little more later.)
- At this point, you can refrigerate both the sauce and the meatballs and put them together about 30 minutes before serving.
To finish:
- About 30 minutes minutes before you want to serve the meatballs preheat the oven to 425˚F. While the oven is preheating, combine the meatballs with the sauce in the same pan you made the sauce in or another medium-large sauté pan or braiser pan. Spoon the sauce over the meatballs.
- Scatter the parmesan over the top and finish with the mozzarella. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 8-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, if desired. Serve on its own or with pasta. I like to serve a bowl of toasted pine nuts at the table and let guests serve themselves.
Notes
This recipe will serve 6-8 people, depending on the portion size. (2 meatballs will yield 8 servings while 3 meatballs per person will yield 6 servings).
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.
If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.
Nutrition
Serving: 240g meatballs | Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 924mg | Potassium: 685mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 501IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 264mg | Iron: 3mg