Caprese Chicken Meatball Pasta
All credit for this Caprese Chicken Meatball Pasta recipe goes to Italian master chef Giada De Laurentiis! (Her version is entitled Orcchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs and is not naturally gluten-free.) We first made this kid-friendly recipe years ago from her cookbook and later adapted it to be a bit easier and also completely gluten-free. Cheese lovers will adore this recipe as it blends three kinds of cheese with beautiful cherry tomatoes and plump chicken meatballs. It also stores and freezes like a dream. Whip up a batch today!
Caprese is a term generally used to refer to the classic and delicious combination of tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. It is one of the most delicious twosomes and combines brilliantly in this pasta recipe.
The original recipe calls for breadcrumbs, regular pasta and some other ingredients that aren’t naturally gluten-free. We used Schar breadcrumbs, Banza pasta, and a gluten-free brand of pasta sauce (instead of ketchup) and chicken stock. We also like using white meat ground chicken – the cheese, eggs and wet ingredients provide enough moisture to make the meatballs the perfect consistency. In a pinch, you can also use ground turkey.
Caprese Chicken Meatball Pasta is a cheese-lovers dream — use this recipe as is, or you can cut back on the parmesan and reduce or omit the fresh mozzarella for ease. It will still be delicious.
You can also use dried herbs in a pinch, instead of the fresh parsley and basil. Just use a smaller amount as dried herbs are far more concentrated.
For a recipe alternative skip the pasta altogether and just make the meatball portion plus sauce. They are great on their own or served over rice. They also freeze perfectly — we like to freeze single serve portions and reheat for a quick and easy lunch.
This is truly a family-friendly recipe – make, eat and enjoy today!
Find more recipes and inspiration here!
Caprese Chicken Meatball Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz box Banza or other gluten-free pasta like shells, penne or orcchiette
Meatballs
- 1/4 cup plain gluten-free bread crumbs like Schar
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley use 1 tbsp dried parsley plus 1 tbsp dried thyme or basil in a pinch
- 2 large pasture-raised eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tbsp non-dairy or dairy milk
- 1 tbsp gluten-free ketchup, or tomato sauce or paste omit if none on hand
- 3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
- 3/4 tsp salt & pepper each
- 1 lb ground white meat chicken
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free chicken stock, warm
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 8 oz bocconcini or ciliegine fresh mozzarella cut into smaller pieces similar to tomatoes
- handfull basil leaves sliced thinly
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions once you begin the meatball cooking process
- To make meatballs, in a medium size bowl, mix together bread crumbs, parsley, eggs milk, tomato sauce, Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Add chicken and stir to evenly combine all ingredients
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. Use a melon baller or spoon to scoop and shape approximate one-inch round meatballs and place on baking sheet. You can do this step ahead of time and place in fridge until ready to make recipe
- In a large skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add meatballs and leave in place to cook until bottoms are lightly browned, approximately 3-4 minutes. Use two forks to flip meatballs (remove from heat if oil is sputtering). Cook an additional 3 minutes
- Add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Scrape bottom of pan and evenly distribute meatballs throughout sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes
- Meanwhile, drain your pasta and reserve about 1 cup pasta water. Add pasta to large pot and cover with parmesan cheese and most or all of the pasta water to keep moist
- Add your meatball mixture to your pasta and stir gently to combine. Add your fresh mozzarella and stir — mozzarella will just start to melt and pull. Add basil and serve
- Extra portions can be refrigerated up to a week or frozen in single servings if desired
Notes
- We usually make our meatballs ahead of time and place our baking tray and mini meatballs in the fridge until ready to make the recipe
- Use a thicker pasta noodle to stand up to the meatballs and sauce, like shells, orcchiette, or penne
- We keep our pasta water warm and start cooking our pasta a couple of minutes into the meatball cooking process to time everything best as possible
- There is a lot of cheese in this recipe; you can easily cut back on your grated Parmesan cheese in the sauce and actually skip the fresh mozzarella all together and you will still have a delicious dish
- For a recipe alternative, skip the pasta altogether and just make the meatballs — freeze individual portions and reheat for a tasty lunchÂ
Nutrition
