These would be great served over pasta, but I decided to try them over polenta with a bit of broiled rapini. This turned out to be a great combo! (Even though I forgot to add the wine to the sauce.)

The polenta and rapini was actually from a Cook's Country recipe, so I'll write that up separately later. In theory it was meant to be served with fried eggs, but the meatballs were fantastic with it! Especially since the tomato sauce sort of filled in for the missing sun-dried tomatoes that were supposed to get stirred into the polenta.

Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 450g ground chicken
• 160g frozen spinach, thawed
• 6 Tbsp. panko breadcrumbs
• 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce

• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. red chile flakes (or more to taste)
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/3 c. dry red wine
• 1 (~800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. Combine all the meatball ingredients and mix well.
3. Working with ~2 Tbsp. of meatball mixture at a time, form into balls and place on prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
6. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened (~4 minutes).
7. Add the chile flakes, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
8. Stir in the wine and cook until reduced by half (4-5 minutes).
9. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Meatballs may be kept separate or simmered with the sauce. (I chose the latter option.)
12. Serve meatballs and sauce over a substrate of your choice. (Pasta and polenta both work very well.)
13. Garnish with fresh basil. Add a little extra Parmesan if desired.