Description
A comforting and beginner-friendly sheet pan dinner featuring baked chicken ricotta meatballs smothered in a creamy spinach Alfredo sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix ground chicken, ricotta, egg, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and paprika until well combined.
- Form into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- While meatballs bake, sauté spinach in a skillet with a bit of olive oil until wilted.
- Add cream, milk, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the spinach. Stir and simmer until the sauce thickens (about 5–7 minutes).
- Transfer cooked meatballs into the sauce and gently toss to coat.
Notes
- You can prepare the meatballs ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them.
- Use cottage cheese instead of ricotta for a lighter option.
- Pan-frying the meatballs is a viable alternative to baking.
- For a lower-carb version, serve with zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked and Stovetop
- Cuisine: Southern-Inspired Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate (approx. 4 meatballs with sauce)
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 135mg