Meatballs. Pasta. Sauce. It’s basically the three essential food groups in my family…unless you count garlic as a food group as well. Having some heavy Italian roots in my family means we are masters at making Italian red sauce and homemade meatballs. But after so many years of enjoying the same type of meatball dish—at least once every other week—I decided it was time to make a totally different type of meatball dish. One that is secretly an ode to the famous chicken Alfredo…but a little fancier. So I present to you my chicken meatballs recipe with a cheesy spinach pappardelle.
So here’s the reason why I love this recipe: The chicken meatballs are baked on a sheet pan, and can honestly be used for anything. Yes, we’ll throw them into the cheesy spinach pappardelle for sure, but if you want to make an extra batch for your weekly meal prep (like for this buffalo chicken meatball bowl) go for it!
Now a quick note regarding pappardelle. Typically, you won’t be able to find pappardelle in a box like you would find most normal pasta. Pappardelle is likely in a large bag, either on the bottom or top shelves in your pasta aisle at the grocery store or even in an Italian cooking section. You can also buy bags like these on Amazon if that’s easier for you! And if you need another recipe to use up this pappardelle, I’m obsessed with this slow cooker beef ragu.
So when you’re making this recipe, do not be afraid about the amount of spinach it calls for. Spinach shrinks quite a bit when you cook it, so just trust me on the size. To be honest, I threw in the whole 5 oz. bag when I made it for my family…which is even more than what the recipe calls for.
As I said, pasta was a weeknight dinner staple in my house growing up, and it still is for me today. I usually plan to cook pasta dinners at least once or twice a week, because I find them to be the easiest dinners to throw together. Especially this cheesy chicken meatball pappardelle!
If you’re on the hunt for more weeknight pasta dinner ideas, here are a few I posted on the blog:
- Supreme Pasta Bake
- One-Pot Bolognese
- Chicken Tortellini Bake
- Creamy Chicken Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Lemon Garlic Vegetable Linguini
- Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
- One-Bowl Mac & Cheese (perfect single serving!)
And now, a cheesy chicken meatball pappardelle. Enjoy!
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Chicken Meatballs with Cheesy Spinach Pappardelle
Ingredients
For the Chicken Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
For the Cheesy Spinach Pappardelle
- 8 oz. pappardelle
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups spinach loosely packed
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan
Instructions
For the Chicken Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray down a sheet pan or casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Add the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Mix together with clean hands.
- Scoop and roll 1-inch meatballs, placing them evenly on the sheet pan.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
For the Cheesy Spinach Pappardelle
- While the meatballs are baking, bring a large pot of water to boil. Sprinkle in some salt, then cook the pappardelle pasta. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat up the olive oil in a large skillet.
- Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the spinach, cook until the spinach has visibly wilted—about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the spinach and garlic from heat into a bowl.
- In that same skillet, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until combined.
- Slowly pour in the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking as you do so. This should create a nice white roux.
- Sprinkle in the shaved parmesan, and mix together with a rubber spatula. Turn off the heat.
- Add in the spinach and garlic, as well as the cooked pappardelle. Stir to combine.
- Using tongs, separate the cheesy spinach pasta into four large bowls. Divide the chicken meatballs into four and place them on top.
- Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper if desired, and serve immediately.
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