Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
Chicken Meatballs:
1 lb ground chicken
½ C (125g) ricotta cheese
½ C (5g) fresh parsley, finely chopped
½ C (50g) parmesan cheese, grated
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ tsp kosher salt, more to taste
¼ tsp onion powder
Black pepper or white pepper, to taste
Oil for cooking
Roasted Tomato Pepper Orzo:
¾ lb tomatoes (4 large or 5 small), cut into 1½” pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1½” pieces
4 garlic cloves, separated (2 cloves smashed and 2 cloves minced)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
½ small white onion, small diced (about ½ C)
½ tsp dried chili pepper flakes
1 lb (2½ C) uncooked orzo
3½ C chicken broth or enough to top up roasted tomato/pepper puree from above to a total of 5½ cups
Salt and pepper to taste
For serving:
¼ C grated parmesan cheese
¼ C chopped fresh parsley
METHOD
Place oven rack to one rung above the middle height. Preheat oven to 400f convection or 425f normal. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drizzle oil on both.
Spread chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, the 2 smashed garlic cloves, and thyme on one baking sheet. Toss in the oil to coat well. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Roast 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender with slightly charred edges.
While veggies roast, make meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, ricotta, parsley, parmesan, garlic, salt, onion powder and black or white pepper. Mix well. Divide and form into equally-sized meatballs, about 2 tablespoons worth of mixture per meatball. Dampen hands as needed if mixture is sticking. Brush oil all over meatballs or roll them around in oiled hands to coat well.
Once veggies are done, pull them out of the oven and let cool. Place meatballs in the oven to roast for 20 minutes, or whenever golden brown.
In a large deep skillet or wide-base pot over medium heat, add oil and butter to the pot. Add onions to sauté until soft, 3-5 minutes. And garlic and chili pepper flakes. Sauté 30 seconds.
While onions and garlic are cooking, purée the tomato/pepper mixture in your Vitamix. Add 4 cups of chicken broth and give a quick blend. Taste the liquid now season as needed with salt, pepper and sugar if tomatoes were tart. The orzo will be bland if the liquid is bland
Add orzo to the onions and garlic, and stir to coat in the oil.
Add roasted tomato/pepper puree to the orzo. Bring everything to a low simmer. Cook orzo until al dente (about 10-15m), stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Orzo will thicken in consistency as it rests, so I like to take it off heat and serve before it thickens too much.
Serve orzo with meatballs on top, finished with parmesan and fresh parsley to garnish.
Enjoy!
