Chicken Meatballs with Peppers and Orzo

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds ground turkey or chicken

2 egg

1 cup panko

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1-2 cups sliced peppers (see notes)

1/4 cup capers (optional)

one 14-ounce can plain tomato sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt (more or less to taste)

8 ounces uncooked orzo

1/4 cup of something creamy – I used mascarpone, but you could also use cream cheese, goat cheese, cream, or butter

kosher salt, Parmesan, and parsley for finishing

Directions

Meatballs

Mix meatball ingredients together. Roll into meatballs. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add a swizzle of olive oil. Add meatballs and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. (Alternatively, you can bake the meatballs – fresh or frozen – at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.)

Sauce

Add peppers and garlic to the same pan, plus a little more oil if you need it. Get all the yummy browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Sauté for 5-10 minutes.

Sauce

Add meatballs into the pan. Stir in tomato sauce and capers. Bring to a low simmer and let it hang out (add a little water if it gets too dry).

Orzo

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and toss with something creamy. Season with salt, Parmesan, and parsley.

You're Done

Plate and serve! Top with more Parmesan and parsley because you are just that fancy.

Notes

7/29/2024 - kids loved it, doubling meatball section for the future

Nutrition

• Calories: 573
• Total Fat: 20 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Trans Fat: 0.1 g
• Cholesterol: 164.7 mg
• Sodium: 561.1 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 61.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.6 g
• Total Sugars: 7.9 g
• Protein: 36.7 g