A few weeks ago when I had wanted to make these Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists, I went for buying an entire rosemary plant, rather than a small bunch of rosemary that cost almost as much as a whole plant. The lady at the store promised that as long as I was careful to soak the roots with water everyday, the plant would last for at least several months. It did not. (sad face) There are now only a couple branches that are still alive and green and I am getting ready to toss it and move on. This is why I am not a gardener.
In my determination to get one last use out of my quickly fading rosemary plant, I decided to make these Chicken Rosemary Parmesan Meatballs. So perfect for dinner on a snowy day! I used this recipe from Annie’s Eats, except I swapped out the dried basil for fresh rosemary. It made a delicious substitute and I am so glad that I could find one last use for my rosemary plant. We enjoyed this served over polenta along with a crusty baguette, but it would also go well with pasta. Now that the snowy weather is here, it’s time for comfort recipes like this!
PrintBaked Chicken Rosemary Meatballs
- Yield: 4-6
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, liquid reserved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
For the Meatballs:
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
- 1/2 cup whole wheat panko crumbs
- 1/3 cup finely minced onion
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
To Finish:
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella, about 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 2-3 tablespoons minced fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Place the whole tomatoes in a blender or food processor, reserving most of the liquid. Puree tomatoes until smooth, adding some of the reserved liquid if necessary.
- In a cast iron skillet or large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until onions are softened and begin to become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes and mix together until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook over low heat until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.
For the meatballs:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, panko, onion, parsley, rosemary, parmesan, garlic, eggs, salt, and pepper. Use hands to mix ingredients together until well combined. Form meatballs about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs in one or two batches, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Add meatballs to tomato mixture.
To finish:
- Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and parmesan on top and bake until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley or basil. Serve warm.
Notes
To make this ahead of time, I assembled the meatballs and sauce together and left off the cheese. About 30 minutes before I was ready to serve, I reheated the meatballs and sauce over the stove before adding the cheese and baking.
slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Dinner, a Love Story
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Dan says
These look amazing – I buy the big plants of herbs too. Even the basil plants instead of spending 4 bucks every time we need basil! Thanks for the recipe!