Dinner Time - Pasta

This is an easy recipe for spaghetti and meatballs, my meatballs never end up balls, so I call them meat pyramids. I also used angel hair instead of spaghetti, you can use any pasta really, but long noodles like spaghetti, vermicelli, and angel hair work best in this particular dish. You will need the following ingredients:

Chicken Meat Pyramids

1 lb ground chicken breast

1 egg

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp of Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, garlic powder)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Pasta Sauce

1/4 c red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 roma tomato, diced

1 tbsp heavy cream

a dollop of tomato paste

1-15 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your taste)

1 tsp Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, garlic powder)

1 tsp thyme

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

olive oil

              This was my first time working with ground chicken, I’ve made meat pyramids with beef and turkey in the past, but I figured I’d give chicken a try. Heat up a nonstick skillet on medium, then add some olive oil once its hot. 

First I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Next, I whisked the egg before adding it to the chicken. I started to mix the chicken with my hands, but I was not aware that ground chicken, unlike most ground meats, has the consistency of yogurt; a spoon will suffice. I added the bread crumbs, and honestly I didn’t measure, but it was about 1/2 cup, just add enough to soak up some moisture and get it to a good consistency. I also didn’t specify the type of bread crumbs in the above recipe because I used more than one type. You can use whatever you have, I had some buttery crackers I crumbled in and a mixture I had previously used for coating chicken (cheez-its, seasoning salt, pepper, flour, and cumin in the food processor.) After mixing everything together, I used two spoons to form balls and put them into the pan. After browning the first side, turn about 90 degrees, keep turning after browning each side and attempt to keep the ball shape, like I said, mine are always pyramids, so whatever works. 

I then moved them to the oven. I pre-heated it 275 Fahrenheit, put them on a cooling rack atop a cookie sheet (to allow air on the underneath.) They were cooked while in the pan, I just wanted them to stay warm and crispy while I made my pasta and sauce.

        For the sauce I started by sweating the onion in some olive oil.

Then I diced up a roma tomato and minced two cloves of garlic.

BTW: My cutting board has “NM” on it to prevent cross contamination, it stands for “no meat.”

Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan. Turn the heat to just above low.

Season the sauce with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne, and thyme. I’m aware there is thyme in the Italian seasoning, I wanted more. Next, add tomato paste.

Stir it in, then add the heavy cream. It makes it a not so appetizing color, but it's prettier when the sauce is finished.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes and let simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Finish the sauce with a splash of olive oil, it helps make it creamier, as does the heavy cream.

Add 1 lb of al dente pasta, toss to combine.

Top with the meat pyramids and you're done! Remember to taste your sauce as you're cooking it.  You can personalize this however you want, for example sautéed mushrooms would be an excellent addition. Let me know what you guys add!