Sometimes I need reminding that recipes don’t have to be complicated. It’s Sunday night, I need inspiration, but again it’s Sunday. I don’t want anything faffy.
Simple, but tasty.
And most importantly, adaptable.
This recipe uses chicken mince, but you could easily swap in beef, pork, or turkey. Or just make the sauce and add some plant based meatballs – just swap out the cream cheese for a tasty vegan option. You could even use something like the Heck Food Chicken Italia mince. I made my own, but that’s simply because I had the jarred roasted peppers and sun dried tomatoes looking at me in the kitchen.
Keep it as simple as you need, because once you’ve got the meatballs sorted, pretty much everything else is done in the pan.
I also went for a creamy style sauce because they too don’t have to be difficult. Sure you could go for a full on bechamel, but sometimes some stock and a tub of cream cheese is enough.
Chicken Meatballs with creamy sauce
Ingredients
For the meatballs (or just substitute for 500g of other meatballs:
- 500 grams Chicken/Turkey/Beef or Pork mince
- 75 grams Sundried or sunblush tomatoes
- 75 grams Jarred roasted peppers
- 0.5 tsp Mixed herbs (or herb combination of your choice)
- Seasoning
For the sauce:
- 1 Bunch of spring onions, or one small onion.
- 200 grams Fresh tomatoes
- 200 grams Fresh spinach
- 1 cube/stockpot Chicken or vegetable stock
- 250 ml Water
- 200 grams Cream cheese (whichever flavour you fancy)
- 2-3 Cloves of garlic, crushed or grated
- Splash of oil
Instructions
Make the meatballs to start (if not using ready made):
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If cooking straight away, pop the oven on to warm up (190°C, Gas Mark 5).
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Take the sundried/blush tomatoes and peppers and dice them finely. Put into a large bowl with the mince. Add the herbs, and a little salt and pepper.
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Smoosh the mince in your hands until all the ingredients are combined, and then ball into meatballs - aim for about 20 meatballs in total (so around 25grams ish per ball. Over or under a little doesn't matter).
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You can then refrigerate these for later, or if you're cooking straight away, pop them onto a tray, and into the oven for around 15-20 minutes.
Meantime, make the sauce:
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Heat some oil in a deep frying pan.
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Dice the spring onion/onion and pop into the pan to cook. Meantime, chop up the tomatoes.
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Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic. Cook until just goldent, then add the tomatoes. Let them cook down until they're soft and juicy.
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Add the water and your stockpot/cube and dissolve. When everything is combined and bubbly, turn the heat down a little and add the cream cheese. Stir until combined.
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Your meatballs should now be lovely and brown, and cooked through. So take them out of the oven and add them to the sauce.
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Finally, wilt in the spinach. It looks like loads, but it really isn't! Once they're wilted in, check your seasoning. Then you're ready to serve.
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This works great with rice and more veggies, with pasta, or even with some mashed potatoes. whatever works for you.