Chicken Meatballs in Tomato sauce w Gnocchi

CallejaFairey

ok, so i got a package of Spelt Gnocchi the other day, it was lower in cals and carbs than the regular gnocchi, and i am a sucker for gnocchi. my problem was i didn't know what to do with it. enter google, and voila, a chicken meatball and tomato sauce recipe for gnocchi. i made it for supper tonight, made a few tweaks to make it healthier and omg!! it was so good! so i thought i would share it with you.

Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce w Gnocchi

1 1/2 lbs ground chicken
1/4 cup soft sun-dried tomatoes (not the packed in oil kind) finely chopped
1 Tbs dried basil (though fresh works equally well)
1 Tbs of your fav seasoning blend such as Ms Dash (i used the extra spicey to give it a kick)
1 medium onion-finely chopped
1 tsp Olive Oil
1-2 garlic cloves-finely minced
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes (i used a can of whole peeled tomatoes and just smooshed them with a potato masher)
1 8oz can of your fav tomato sauce, like Hunt's or Heinz
1 Tbs dried basil (again, fresh works well too)
salt and pepper to taste
1 500g package of gnocchi (2 cups worth)

-preheat oven to 400F
-mix chicken,sun-dried tomatoes, first portion of basil and seasoning blend together in a bowl till well blended
-line baking sheet with parchment paper
-form meatballs (i used a red handlled #24 scoop, which is 1.3 oz, but if you don't have one...lol, i got 18 total) and place on the parchment paper, evenly spaced.
-bake approx 10-15 mins, or until they are golden and cooked all the way through.
-while the meatballs are baking, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are soft
-add the cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce, the second amount of basil and the salt and pepper, allow the sauce to bubble gently.
-prepare gnocchi according to package directions
-when the meatballs are done, add them to the sauce.

serve sauce and meatballs over the cooked gnocchi, and garnish with a little grated parmesan or romano if you like.

Serving Size and Nutritional Info for Meatballs and sauce only, as the gnocchi will vary.
Serving Size-6 (with the gnocchi package only having 4 servings to it, it means leftover meatballs for something else! yum)
Calories-183
Carbs-9
Fat-7
Protein-23

so, depending on the kind of gnocchi you get, the nutritional value will vary greatly. i used Aurora Spelt Gnocchi, and the cals went to 363, carbs 47, fat 7 and protein 28. if you can't find the spelt gnocchi, and are unhappy with how much higher the other gnocchi's are in cals and carbs specifically, you could always substitue any kind of pasta. i mean let's face it, this recipe is all about the meatballs anyways :P


i hope you try this one, and enjoy it as much as i did, i am already thinking ahead to leftovers!! haha

edited for dang typos!!!

mommytomia

Thanks!!
I loooove Gnocchi!!

ShellyMacchi

sounds delish!
leftover meatballs to share with someone else maybe? *winks*... like maybe a very close relative who is NOT living with you but does not live far away? *hint hint*

CallejaFairey

sounds delish!
leftover meatballs to share with someone else maybe? *winks*... like maybe a very close relative who is NOT living with you but does not live far away? *hint hint*

haha, i do have 2 servings in the freezer, maybe i will bring them over, along with my dog, and we can have a meatball night :P

BECav0602

bump