Chicken Meatballs with Hidden Veggies

A great way to use fresh tomatoes, spinach and sweetcorn!

I really like the idea of minimal washing up so do consider cooking the onion and the reusing the pan for the meatballs, think of it as added flavour!

For my gluten free option, I bake a potato while the meatballs are cooking and have a potato topped with the sauce and meatballs.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons oil

4 onions , diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh coriander

2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

500g minced chicken

250g sweetcorn kernels, fresh or frozen

salt and pepper

SAUCE

5 anchovies in oil, drained

pepper, freshly ground

5 large tomatoes, deseeded and diced

50g baby spinach leaves

100g mozzarella, grated

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the onions, cook until soft and beginning to colour, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Spoon 1/4 of the onion mix into a large bowl and set aside to cool.

Add the anchovies to the remaining onions and cook for 1 minute, add the tomatoes.

Spoon the mix into an oven proof dish. Keep the pan on the stove to cook the meatballs.

Once the onions in the bowl have cooled, add the fresh coriander and dill, chilli flakes, chicken, sweetcorn and seasoning, mix well.

Heat the pan to medium high.

Form the meat into meatballs and quickly fry them on all sides to colour them.

Sprinkle the spinach over the tomato mixture and spoon over the meatballs.

Top with the grated cheese and bake, covered, in the oven for 35-45 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked and then bake, uncovered for 10-15mins to allow the cheese to brown.

To serve, top some hot cooked pasta with a handful of baby spinach, the sauce from the meatballs and then the meatballs themselves.

 

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