Chicken pesto meatballs with peppers and greens

By LyndaLee

Yellow peppers lend beautiful colour and a burst of sweetness to this meal. Don't be intimidated by the amount of spinach—you'll be surprised by how much it wilts after steaming

Ingredients

• 450 g ground chicken
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp jarred pesto (such as PC Splendido Basil Pesto)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 sweet yellow pepper , seeded and coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic , finely grated or pressed
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 bunches spinach (about 400 g total), trimmed

Preparation

Step 1

In large bowl, mix together chicken, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of the pesto and the salt (if using). Firmly roll by 1 tbsp into balls.

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add meatballs; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 2 minutes. Add yellow pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are no longer pink inside, 3 to 6 minutes.

Transfer meatballs and yellow pepper to separate plates.

In same skillet, add remaining pesto, garlic, lemon juice and pepper. Add half of the spinach; cover and cook for 1 minute.

Stir, add remaining spinach; cover and cook for 1 minute. Uncover, stir and continue cooking until spinach is wilted. Add meatballs and yellow pepper; stir to combine. Stir in lemon zest. Serve with pasta.

Tip from The Test Kitchen: Use leftover meatball mixture to make cheesy meatball sub sandwiches. Split and toast soft French rolls and spoon in the meatball mixture. Top with mozzarella or provolone cheese and broil until melted and bubbly.