Recipes and Cooking Italian Chicken Meatballs 5.0 (1) 1 Review Gina's simple stove-top tomato sauce simmers while the meatballs bake so the entire meal can come together in under 40 minutes. By Gina Homolka Gina Homolka Facebook Instagram Website Gina is a recipe developer and founder of the award-winning blog Skinnytaste and the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Skinnytaste Cookbook, Skinnytaste Fast and Slow, Skinnytaste One and Done, The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook, and Skinnytaste Meal Prep and Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners. Her work has been featured in Fitness Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Glamour.com, Oprah.com, and more. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on February 6, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Carson Downing Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 6 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients Olive oil spray 1 pound 95% lean ground chicken ⅔ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese ½ cup packed frozen riced cauliflower (3 1/2 ounces) ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley 1 large egg 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 garlic cloves, minced ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon olive oil 3 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil (such as Tuttorosso) ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 bay leaf Crushed red pepper flakes (optional) Hot cooked spiralized zucchini and/or pasta Fresh basil (optional) Grated Pecorino Romano (optional) Directions For the meatballs: Adjust an oven rack to the second highest position and preheat the broiler to high. Line a large baking pan with foil and coat with olive oil cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine ground chicken, Pecorino Romano, cauliflower, parsley, egg, tomato paste, minced garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix with wet hands. Gently form into 12 meatballs using a scant 1/4 cup each. Transfer to the baking pan. Broil until tops are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. For the sauce: In a large pot heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium. Add the crushed garlic and cook until golden. Carefully add crushed tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, the bay leaf, and, if using, crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Gently add meatballs to the pot of sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until meatballs are tender and cooked through (165°F), about 10 minutes more. Discard bay leaf. Serve meatballs and sauce over spiralized zucchini and/or pasta. If desired, garnish with basil and additional Pecorino Romano. Serves 4. Tips Gina recommends ground chicken with a bit of fat (5 percent). Using all breast meat can result in dry meatballs. Also, you can make a double batch and freeze the rest! Tips Spiralize the zucchini and place in a medium bowl. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 349 Calories 16g Fat 23g Carbs 30g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 349 % Daily Value * Total Fat 16g 21% Saturated Fat 5g 25% Cholesterol 156mg 52% Sodium 1165mg 51% Total Carbohydrate 23g 8% Total Sugars 12g Protein 30g Vitamin C 54.3mg 272% Calcium 157mg 12% Iron 3.1mg 17% Potassium 935mg 20% Folate, total 39.6mcg Vitamin B-12 0.9mcg Vitamin B-6 0.8mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.