Pack your balls full of leafy kale, and make them light and fluffy, and full of green fiber. Served over quinoa and topped with a simple tomato sauce that packs more fresh-veggie-punch, these balls ensure you’re getting your greens with a totally devourable dinner.
Chicken Kale Meatballs over Quinoa
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion
- 1 medium-sized carrot
- 1 stalk of celery
- 2 Tbsp. bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. salt + grated pepper
- 1 16-oz. can of diced tomatoes
- drizzle of olive oil
- 4 Tbsp. fresh ricotta cheese
- 1 cup quinoa, prepared according to the package's instructions
Let's go
1. Preheat Oven to 400° F. Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, tear the kale leaves off of their stems. Once the water is boiling, add in the kale leaves and cook, making sure they’re all submerged into the water for 5 minutes. Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water. Reserve on the side, allowing the kale to drain over the sink.
3. Chop the onions, carrots, and celery into ½-inch dice, trying to make them all a similar size.
4. In a small saucepan, with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, sauté onions until translucent, 7 minutes. Once translucent, add in the celery and carrots sauce until softened slightly, 7 minutes. Also, at this time, make the quinoa.
5. Meanwhile, roughly chop the kale leaves. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the ground chicken, bread crumbs, cheese, and ½ of the kale.
6. Take ⅓ of the onion, celery, and carrot mixture and add it into the meatballs. Return the rest onto the stove and continue sautéing on low heat.
7. Mix the meatball mixture together. Then, using your hands, form balls and place into an oven safe cooking dish, like a glass Pyrex. Line the balls sitting directly next to each other, without space in between. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes into the skillet, mix, cover with a lid, and cook down for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
9. After 20 minutes the chicken should be slightly browned on top and cooked through (you can tell by inserting a meat thermometer into it and it should read 165° F).
10. Serve the meatballs over quinoa and topped with the sauce. Add a tablespoon of ricotta cheese on top of each dish for some extra creamy goodness!