Ingredients
Scale
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 3/4 cup rolled (old-fashioned) oats
- 1/3 cup green onions minced
- 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 12 ounces whole grain linguine, spaghetti or angel hair pasta
- 1/3 cup half-and-half
- Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley chopped as garnish.
Instructions
- n a small bowl, whisk together the chia seeds and water and let stand for about 20 minutes. (Makes 3/4 cup extra-thick chia gel.)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the chia gel, ground chicken, oats, onion, 1/4 cup of the cheese, 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil, the parsley, oregano, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper, and the red pepper flakes. When evenly combined, firmly form mixture into 20 meatballs (I use an ice cream scoop so they are all equal). Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake in 400* oven for 20-30 minutes until meatballs are totally cooked through. Keep warm in a 175* oven while making the pasta.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking water.
- Bring the half-and-half, the remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, and reserved pasta water to a boil over high heat in a large saucepan. Add the drained pasta and toss to combine. Add the lemon juice and toss to combine. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and toss to combine.
- Transfer the linguine to four large pasta bowls. Top each five of chicken meatballs, sprinkle with basil/parsley and lemon zest, and serve.
Keywords: chia seeds, ground chicken, pasta, meatballs, spicy