These chicken ricotta meatballs, wrapped in the lightness of the cheese, and served with lots of sauce and flavor in the thick cream of spinach Alfredo can be called a dish to fill you up to even more than what pleases you now. Compromise-not. Something to love all to yourself? It’s a hearty, taste-bursting dish that will make you suffice and leave you feeling good about life’s little indulgence. Great for cuddling or celebration.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Because of creaminess and richness: Guests can love it because of the Alfredo tasting very creamy, created from Parmesan and blended with the earthy taste of fresh baby spinach.
For juicy meatballs: The meatballs of chicken, with the cheese of Ricotta, are quite tender and always juicy.
One skillet is enough: The rest of the meatballs and the sauce are cooked while the pasta cooks so that most meals could be ready in one plate.
Famous to many families: The Alfredo dish is just warm enough for a luxurious kid-friendly meal on any given weeknight or rather an amazing special day.
Key Ingredients
Ground Chicken: A mild flavor of the passable protein that allows perfectly creamy sauces to accompany it should be mixed with the breadcrumbs that are probably soaked in milk.
Ricotta Cheese: Meatballs are serene due to the crumb and subtle mixture that allow them to come together.
Parmesan Cheese: If you have extra, this item may be put in both the meatball and the sauce of the amazing Italian dish that contains all the rest.
Spinach: The spinach was added to the sauce lovingly to give it not only its wonderful dark green color but a kick of texture as plush as good cardinal red.
Heavy Cream: Heavy cream gives just the proper richness to the sauce, combining a unique, unctuous Parmesan flavor.
Italian Seasoning: The Italian seasoning is mixed with the ground beef, giving it the herbaceous flavor typical of most Italian dishes.
Garlic: Use garlic for flavoring, both in the meatballs and the sauce; otherwise, the meatballs would taste like cement.
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions:
Step 1: Fire Up That Oven
Alright, first things first – preheat your oven to 400°F (that’s 200°C if you’re rocking metric). You want it nice and hot so those meatballs get golden and juicy in all the right ways. No one wants a lukewarm start.
Step 2: Let’s Make Those Meatballs
Mix It All Together
Grab your biggest mixing bowl – seriously, the one you always have to dig for – and toss in:
-
1 lb ground chicken
-
½ cup creamy ricotta
-
¼ cup grated Parmesan
-
1 egg
-
½ cup breadcrumbs
-
2 cloves garlic, minced
-
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
-
A good pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper
Now roll up your sleeves and get in there with your hands. Mix it up until everything’s just combined. Not too much – we’re going for tender, not tough.
Shape ‘Em Up
With damp hands (trust me on this, it keeps things from getting sticky and annoying), roll out 1-inch meatballs – about the size of a golf ball. Try to keep them all the same size so they cook evenly.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (easy cleanup, yes please) and space those beauties out like little chickeny gems.
Step 3: Bake Time
Slide the tray into your hot oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. You’re looking for lightly golden outsides and juicy, fully cooked centers. Your kitchen’s gonna start smelling amazing right about now.
Step 4: Make That Creamy Spinach Alfredo Sauce
Butter + Garlic = Heaven
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Once it’s nice and melted, toss in 1 minced garlic clove. Let it sizzle for about a minute – just until your kitchen smells like an Italian grandma moved in.
Creamy Dreamy Goodness
Pour in 1 cup of heavy cream and stir in ½ cup of grated Parmesan. Let it simmer gently (not boil – slow and steady wins the sauce race) for around 5 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens a bit.
Spinach Magic
Start adding in 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach. It’ll look like a ton at first, but don’t worry – it wilts down fast. Season with a bit more salt and pepper to taste.
Wanna take it up a notch? Add a pinch of nutmeg or a splash of white wine – trust me, it gives it that “why does this taste so fancy?” kind of vibe.
Step 5: Assemble Like a Boss
Boil up your favorite pasta (fettuccine or penne, anyone?). Plate it up, stack on those juicy chicken ricotta meatballs, and ladle the creamy spinach Alfredo over everything.
Top with more Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Look at you—serving restaurant-quality food at home.
Serving Suggestions
Classic Matching: Enjoy it by placing meatballs and sauce over a bed of noodles made of fettuccine, spaghetti, or penne for a hefty serving of Italian.
Low-Carb Fares: Substitute zoodles—that’s zucchini noodles—cauliflower rice, or roasted spaghetti squash.
Garlic Bread: Dip garlic bread or rich focaccia into the sauce.
Side Green: A light-green-freshening salad would serve as an asset for this rich dish.
Storage and Reheating
Chill: If you save some leftovers, try and do it in an airproof cabinet in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Reheat them upon the stovetop. Keep the sauce runny by first frying the food in a frying pan under low flame, and then add a bit of milk or cream.
Freeze: Cut down on dirtying more dishes by separating the sauce from the baked meatballs and only freeze one receptacle completely. The baked meatballs should be thawed in the refrigerator overnight before reheating and combining with a fresh-appropriately prepared sauce.
Variations
Cheese Puffy: How about making the best meatballs? Insert small cubes of mozzarella and enjoy a gooey core of giant.
Herb Switch: As soon as the meatball mixture begins taking shape add fresh basil or oregano to deliver a crispy herb taste.
Chili Kick: A dash of heat received from red pepper flakes in the Alfredo sauce could be quite interesting.
Vegetarian Option: Swap the chicken for ground chickpeas or crumbled tofu for a veggie twist in the meatballs.
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs in the meatballs, serve on gluten-free pasta.
Final Note
Chicken Ricotta Meatballs with Spinach Alfredo Sauce marry comfort to the dining table with an attitude of total elegance. It is all creamy tenderness and bursting forth with those vibrant flavors – something for pleasing family appetites or for standing out to impress your guests. Try it once, and you will never want to switch from there!
Chicken Ricotta Meatballs with Spinach Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for meatballs
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves garlic minced, for meatballs
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste, for meatballs and sauce
- 2 tbsp butter for sauce
- 1 clove garlic minced, for sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for sauce
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- Cooked pasta for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). This ensures the oven is ready for baking the meatballs.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, egg, breadcrumbs, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix well and form into 1-inch meatballs. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, stirring until smooth. Add chopped spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook until spinach is wilted.
- Serve cooked pasta topped with baked chicken ricotta meatballs and generously ladle Spinach Alfredo Sauce over the top. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley if desired.
