Pasta Casserole with Chicken Meatballs

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 6

Italian pasta with meatballs is served as a delicious casserole topped with golden, melted cheese. Although the meatballs are made with ground chicken, the addition of pumpkin puree, Parmesan, and herbs makes them incredibly juicy and tender, with no pumpkin flavor whatsoever. Bake the meatballs in the oven, then layer them on top of pasta in tomato marinara sauce, sprinkle with grated mozzarella and Parmesan, and bake. A perfect family meal that both adults and children will love.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Meatballs

450 g of minced chicken
0.5 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 tbsp. grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon coarse salt
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Casserole

1 pack (450 g) mezzi-rigatoni or mezzi-penne pasta
1 can (800 gr.) marinara sauce
2 tbsp. grated mozzarella
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: minced chicken, pumpkin puree, rigatoni pasta, marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, pumpkin puree, Parmesan, onion, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Form the mixture into balls, scooping out 1 tablespoon of the mixture at a time, and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until set, 12-15 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F) and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Casserole:
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes less than package directions. Set aside 1/3 cup of the water, and drain the rest down the drain.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta with the marinara sauce and the reserved pasta water. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Place the meatballs in the pasta. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Author of the recipe - Katie Lee is an American food writer and television food critic.

Categories:

recipe / Recipes for children's dishes / Dinner / Main courses / Casseroles / Pasta / Bird / / Italian cuisine

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