Lemony Chicken Ricotta Meatball Pasta Bake is a comforting one-dish meal featuring tender, juicy chicken meatballs enriched with ricotta cheese, nestled in pasta with wilted spinach and topped with a creamy, zesty lemon-garlic sauce.
Ingredients
- Meatballs:
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
- 1 large egg
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground chicken
- Sauce
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking pan with foil. Grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot. Add spinach. Stir until spinach wilts. Transfer pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Beat egg in a large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, onion, - Parmesan cheese, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add ground chicken and mix well.
- Use a 1 1/2 inch (1 1/2 tablespoon) scoop to portion mixture into 32 meatballs.
- Place on a foil lined pan and broil on the middle rack for 5 minutes.
- Transfer meatballs to the baking dish with pasta mixture, gently nestling meatballs into the pasta; set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- For the sauce, combine butter and garlic in a large skillet. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add whipping cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper, stirring until cheese melts.
- Pour sauce over pasta and meatballs. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake, uncovered, until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir before serving. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.
