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How do you like your meatballs? On their lonesome? With store bought sauce and pasta?  Or are you like me, sitting on some healthy Zoodles, and drizzled with homemade sauce?

Chicken & Bacon Meatballs

These Chicken & Bacon meatballs are such tasty little things.  They are perfect as a main meal and even better the next day in your lunch box – if there are any left. 

While fresh homemade tomato sauce is a zillon times better than store bought.  I have used canned tomatoes so you can make it when tomatoes are not in season and you haven’t preserved your own. Personally I happy with store bought canned tomatoes as I check the labels carefully and go with the lowest salt (sodium) and no added sugar I can find.  Read the ingredient label and compare the brands.

I use spiralised or julienned zucchini or courgettes (no wheat pasta here).  They have an incredibly spaghetti like texture and taste when lightly cooked.  I have mentioned before I think the taste of pasta is more about the texture in your mouth than the flavor.

So I know what I want to have under and over my meatballs. Just before we get onto the recipe let me credit Lindsay from Dandy Dishes whose meatball recipe I tweaked here. 

Chicken & Bacon Meatballs with Homestyle Tomato Sauce

  • Servings: 2 - 3
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Chicken & Bacon Meatballs

Ingredients
Homestyle Tomato sauce
1 tin of tomatoes (400g) choose no added sugar & low salt
50g butter (or 50 mls extra virgin olive oil)
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional – Chilli flakes to taste
Meatballs
600g (1.4 lb) boneless skinless free range chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer).
4 streaky bacon rashers (free range), diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp (more or less) chili flakes
1 egg, free range
1 tbsp Homestyle Tomato Sauce
¼ cup fresh oregano, finely chopped (parsley is fine as a substitute)
Basting sauce
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp Homestyle Tomato Sauce
Zoodles
3 large zucchini (more or less) – spiralised or julienned into thin strips.
1 tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil
1/4c water

Homestyle Tomato sauce
Mix tinned tomatoes with the butter, add a grind or two of pepper (some chili flakes if you want it spicy).
Simmer very gently over a low heat for 25 to 30 minutes or until it is reduced to a thick sauce.

Chicken and Bacon Meatballs
Preheat oven to 200C/400.
Cube chicken and place into food processor. Process to a fine mince. This may only take a few pulses but will depend on your food processor.
Heat a tbsp of olive oil and add the onion, cook on a medium heat until soft but not brown and remove from the pan.
Add the diced bacon and crushed garlic then cook gently – about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
Add the onions, bacon, garlic to the minced chicken, along with the chili, egg, Homestyle Tomato Sauce and parsley.
Form into small balls – around 2 tbsps of the mixture.
Place into a baking tray.
Mix together 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and the 4 tbsp Homestyle Tomato Sauce
Spoon a tsp of this mix over each meatball to glaze.
Bake for 12 minutes.

Zoodles
Spiralise or julienne your zucchini.
Microwave in a glass bowl with a little water and a tablespoon of butter or extra virgin olive oil until they are still slightly firm – el denta.
Or steam over simmering water and once cooked to your preference add a tablespoon of butter or extra virgin olive oil.
Drain.

Place your zoodles on a plate, top with meatballs and extra tomato sauce.
Enjoy!
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