Chicken and Spinach Meatballs on Tomato and Beans
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Bursting with fragrant lemon and basil, these light meatballs are also great made into patties and served between slices of toasted ciabatta as a burger.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
Meatballs
100 grams spinach leaves (2 big handfuls)
500 grams chicken mince
¾ cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Beans
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 x 400 gram tin whole cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup water
1 x 400 gram tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
handful basil leaves
Parmesan for grating
METHOD
Meatballs: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and season well. Form into 16 rough balls. The mixture is soft. The meatballs can be made several hours ahead. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and cook the meatballs until golden on all sides and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Don’t wash the pan.
Beans: Add the onion to the pan and cook until tender, adding a little more oil if necessary. Add the garlic, tomatoes, vinegar and water, season and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the beans then the meatballs and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Stir in the basil.
To serve: Divide the beans and meatballs between shallow bowls and top with a good grating of Parmesan.
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