Whole grain noodle lunch with chicken meatballs and green sauce

Votes: 6

How to Make - Whole Wheat Noodle Dinner with Chicken Meatballs and Green Sauce

Time: 35 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 6

Nutritional value per serving:

Calories 179, total fat 11 G., saturated fats 4 G., proteins 15 G., carbohydrates 5 G., fiber 1 G., cholesterol 100 mg, sodium 208 mg, sugar 1 G.

Lemon zest infuses these Mediterranean-style chicken meatballs with a refreshing citrus flavor that pairs perfectly with the other spices and aromatic herbs: onion, thyme, oregano, paprika, and garlic. The meatballs are pan-fried in a mixture of butter and olive oil, creating a deliciously golden crust while remaining super-juicy inside. Serve the meatballs as an appetizer or with linguine pasta in a kale-pecan pesto sauce. The recipe is also included below.

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
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons whole grain unseasoned breadcrumbs
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Hungarian or hot paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, from about 1 small sprig
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, about 5 sprigs
1 tsp. brown sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp. l. olive oil
For servingLinguine pasta with kale pesto, recipe below

Linguine Pasta with Kale Pesto

450 g kale, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
1 pack (350 g) whole grain linguine pasta
1/4 cup pecans
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
0.5 cup pitted Kalamata olives
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup olive oil

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: linguine pasta, minced chicken, meatballs, pecans, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, oregano, thyme, onion powder, paprika

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

In a large bowl, gently combine the ground chicken, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, onion powder, oregano, thyme, brown sugar, lemon zest, 2 generous pinches of salt, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.
Form the mixture into meatballs slightly smaller than golf balls; you should have 28-30 total. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the meatballs to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes until golden brown.

Flip and cook for another 3 minutes, without stirring. Continue cooking until the meatballs are browned on all sides but still firm to the touch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve with linguine pasta in kale pesto, if desired.

Linguine Pasta with Kale Pesto

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat. Blanch the kale until bright green, about 1 minute. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water, reserving the boiling water for the pasta. Remove the kale from the ice water and pat dry with paper towels before transferring to a food processor.
Add linguine pasta to a pot of salted boiling water and cook according to package directions.
Pesto:

Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a dry skillet over low heat until fragrant. Transfer to a food processor along with the Parmesan, olives, and garlic. Puree. With the processor running, gradually pour in the olive oil and process until it forms a paste. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Exit: 3 tbsp.
To serve, spoon enough pesto into a large serving bowl to cover the linguine. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the bowl. The remaining water will thin the sauce slightly. Stir to coat. Add more pesto if needed. Transfer the pasta to a serving platter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.