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Creamy Tuscan Pasta with Italian Chicken Meatballs

This super simple creamy tuscan pasta recipe is the ultimate summer weeknight staple that the whole family will love! The Italian chicken meatballs are loaded with tons of Italian spices and parmesan, then baked to perfection in the oven. We finish it off with a ridiculously creamy garlic sauce, that's filled with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. An excellent way to get picky kids to eat their greens!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Course dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients
  

Italian Chicken Meatballs

  • 1 Lb Raw Ground Chicken
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Thyme
  • 1 teaspoon Oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Basil
  • 2 tablespoon Fresh Parsley chopped
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • ½ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  • ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese grated
  • Ground Black Pepper to taste

Creamy Tuscan Pasta

  • 16 Oz Uncooked Linguine Noodles
  • 2 Tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Oil see notes
  • 5 Cloves Garlic minced
  • ¼ Cup Sun-dried Tomatoes Chopped
  • 2 Cups Whole Milk
  • 2 tablespoon Corn Starch
  • 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • 6 oz Fresh Spinach
  • Ground Black Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to bake at 425°F. Line a large square baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicone baking mat or cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients (except for the pepper) for the Italian chicken meatballs and mix with your hands until everything is well combined.
  • With an ice cream scooper or spoon, scoop two tablespoons worth of the raw chicken mixture and form into a ball with damp hands and place the meatball onto the baking sheet. Repeat this step until you have used all of the mixture. This should yield roughly 18 meatballs. Add ground black pepper to the tops of meatballs to taste.
  • Place baking sheet on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 22 minutes.

Creamy Tuscan Pasta

  • While the meatballs are cooking in the oven bring a large pot of water to a boil using high heat and then place the 16 oz of uncooked linguine (or pasta of your choice) into the boiling pot. Cook the pasta for 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked to your liking. Make sure to stir up the pasta a few times as it cooks. Strain and set aside.
  • In a large skillet heat the sun-dried tomato oil over medium heat. Add in the minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes or until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add in the tomato paste and saute for another 2 minutes.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the milk and the corn starch to form a slurry. This step is just to make sure the corn starch is completely dissolved into the milk. Immediately add it into the skillet and begin to incorporate it with the tomato and garlic. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add in the salt, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and cooked pasta. Cook on medium-low heat until the spinach has wilted. Remove from heat and add ground black pepper to taste. Serve with the finished meatballs.

Notes

If your sun-dried tomatoes didn't come in oil just use olive oil
Keyword Baked, Creamy, easy, ground chicken, healthy, meatballs, Pasta, Quick, spinach, Tomato, tuscan