Penne with Mini Meatballs
Pasta doesn’t always have to be a saucy mess. Red sauce can be overwhelming and sometimes you just want something a little lighter. This Penne with Meatballs is cooked in a simmered chicken broth with fresh cherry tomatoes, making it light and flavorful.
The meatballs are tiny and add just the right amount of flavor to this otherwise light dish. Using a tiny ice cream scoop to make mini meatballs is also completely zen and you’ll be done in no time. Make anything mini and happiness will follow.
Penne with Mini Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
olive oil for the pan
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 pound penne pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 ounces bocconcini (tiny mozzarella balls, halved)
Instructions:
In a medium bowl combine the ground pork, eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Make tiny 3/4″ mini meatballs by hand or use an ice cream scoop.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs in batches, cook 2-3 minutes until they are brown on the bottom, then turn and brown 2-3 minutes more.
Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer 7-10 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and the meatballs are cooked through.
While the meatballs are simmering heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, according to package. Drain the pasta but do not rinse, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and toss with 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and the reserved pasta water to make a sauce.
Add the meatballs and tomatoes and bocconcini. Stir in the rest of the Parmesan.
Season with fresh pepper and serve.
Well, I didn’t exactly make the meatballs part, but this dish tasted good using Amylu chicken sausages. We recently shopped at Costco and had a bunch of stuff needing to be used: grape tomatoes, mozzarella balls, large container of grated Grana Padano, and the sausage. Lots of basil left in the garden, and with fall coming, they need to be used up soon. This recipe was perfect for what I had around the house today and not being in the mood to go food shopping. Thanks, Jenn!