Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

 

I've been kind of slacking lately in the dinner department. We've had one thing after another it seems, kids gone here and there, busy schedules and I've just been feeding whoever has been home. So, it's time to get back in the dinner mode. :) 

One of the things that kept me busy lately was my oldest turning 18 and we had a party. I still can't believe she's 18 already and leaving for college the end of next month. Happy birthday Hayley!!

Her favorite flowers are hydrangeas so I tried to go with that theme. She has a hydrangea bush outside her bedroom window so I picked some for the table decor and used that as my inspiration.

I tried to make hydrangea cupcakes but I think I need a little more practice making it look more like petals.

So anyway, back to dinner. One of our meals lately was Chicken Parmesan Meatballs that I found over at Dinner: A Love Story. I changed it a little bit, I made them regular meatball size to have with pasta, where as she made them larger to be the main course. After reading the reviews, many said to cut way back on the fennel seeds or not use them altogether. I chose not to use any at all. I also cut up string cheese and put that inside my meatballs. Who doesn't like a little surprise cheese inside, right?

We start by preheating the oven to 400 and combining these ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, whisked
zest of half a lemon (I also left this out just because I didn't have a lemon)

2 mozzarella cheese sticks, cut into pieces

I then made my meatballs regular meatball size and put a piece of cheese inside. My 7 year old was kind enough to be my camera gal!

 

 Put them on a foil lined baking sheet. When all done, take some pasta sauce and paint the tops. 

 

looking so yummy already!

Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, start cooking your pasta & sauce of choice. After 15 minutes, remove from the oven and switch to broil. Add some cheese to the tops and broil a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve your meatballs with some salad, pasta and bread and you're all set!

 

Mmmmmmm....Go make yourself some Chicken Parmesan Meatballs! 

(recipe adapted from Dinner: A Love Story)

Check out where I Link Party and share my posts!