Baked Penne With Chicken Meatballs And Ricotta Recipes

BAKED PENNE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water just until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Stir in marinara sauce and toss to coat.
• In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, eggs and Parmesan cheese. Add basil, salt, garlic powder and pepper; stir to combine.
• Layer half of the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta. Spoon the remaining pasta over the ricotta. Sprinkle mozzarella on top.
• Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes (or until hot and bubbly).

BAKED PENNE WITH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Place the onions, tomato sauce, broth, and all of the seasonings in a 9×13" baking dish. Stir to combine (carefully so the sauce doesn't splash over the sides). Add the penne and press it down into the sauce. It should be completely submerged. If it isn't add a little more broth.
• Spread the meatballs over the top and lightly press them into the pasta and sauce. They don't need to be completely submerged. If any of the penne pop up above the sauce, press them back in.
• Cover the pan with foil and bake the pasta for 45 minutes. After the time is up, take the pan out of the oven and remove the foil. Carefully stir the pasta and meatballs. Place the pan back in the oven (uncovered) and bake the pasta for 15 minutes.
• Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Pop it back in the oven for about five mintues or until the cheese is melted. Let the baked pasta stand for a few minutes. Garnish with the parsley, if using, and serve.

BAKED PENNE WITH CHICKEN MEATBALLS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, mix bread crumbs and milk; let stand 5 minutes. Add egg, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley, 2 finely chopped cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper; stir to combine. Add chicken; gently combine. Shape into 32 (1 1/4-inch) meatballs.
• In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs in oil about 6 minutes, turning a few times to brown all sides. Add pasta sauce and spinach in batches; cook until sauce is hot and spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook and drain penne as directed on package. Carefully add to pasta sauce and meatball mixture in skillet.
• In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, 1 finely chopped clove garlic, pepper flakes and remaining 1/4 teaspoons each salt and pepper.
• In baking dish, pour half of the pasta mixture. Place half of the ricotta mixture in dollops over pasta. Spread remaining pasta mixture in baking dish; top with dollops of remaining ricotta. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN MEATBALLS WITH HOMEMADE RICOTTA

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the chicken, breadcrumbs, roasted red pepper, buttermilk, parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Roll the mixture into 2- to 3-inch balls, though the meatballs can be made into any size desired.
• Place the meatballs on a lightly-greased baking sheet and roast until cooked through and a little brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
• For the ricotta cheese Bring the milk, buttermilk, heavy cream and salt to a boil in a large stockpot over medium heat, then turn off the heat and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Using a very fine strainer or cheesecloth, strain the milk mixture to separate the thick parts, or curds, from the remaining liquid, or whey, over a bowl or container. Discard the whey. For thicker ricotta, let the mixture strain longer so more liquid is removed. Let cool and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Serve the meatballs hot with your favorite homemade or store-bought tomato sauce and garnish with pieces of ricotta.

TURKEY MEATBALLS AND RICOTTA BAKE WITH PENNE

Steps:

• For the meatballs, mix all meatball ingredients together adding in enough bread crumbs to bind the mixture together.
• Form into about 1-inch size balls.
• In a large skillet heat oil and cook the meatballs, shaking the skillet until browned and cooked through (about 6-7 minutes) transfer the meatballs to paper towels to drain.
• Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until JUST firm-tender; drain.
• Set oven to 375 degrees.
• Grease a 4-quart baking dish.
• In a small bowl mix together shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
• Spoon about 1-1/2 cups sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, then spread half of the meatballs on top of sauce.
• Then spoon HALF of the pasta on top.
• Spread HALF of the remaining sauce and HALF of the cheese mixture over pasta.
• Top with remaining meatballs and then drop dollups of ricotta cheese over meatballs.
• Spread remaining pasta over the ricotta.
• Top with remaining sauce, and then sprinkle with remaining mozza/Parmesan mixture.
• Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until golden.
• Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

BAKED PENNE WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, wine or tomato juice, dried oregano, pepper and crushed red pepper. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is brown. Drain off fat. Stir tomato mixture into meat mixture in skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cooked pasta, and olives.
• Divide the pasta mixture among six 10 to 12 ounce individual casseroles. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. (Or spoon all of the pasta mixture into a 2-quart casserole. Bake, covered to 30 minutes). Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

CHICKEN, LEMON & RICOTTA MEATBALLS WITH LINGUINE

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into very small pieces using a sharp knife. You can use a food processor, but pulse so it doesn't turn into a paste. Put in a bowl and add half the lemon zest, half the ricotta, half the parsley, the breadcrumbs and mix together. Add the 2 tbsp milk, the egg and a good pinch of seasoning. Mix again.
• Dust a plate lightly with flour. Wet your hands, take a golf ball-sized piece of the meatball mixture and roll into a ball. Set on the floured plate and repeat until all the mixture has been used up.
• Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil, then the meatballs, ensuring they don't touch each other. Cook for 10-15 mins, turning so they brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Meanwhile, heat a large pan of salted water and add the linguine. Cook following pack instructions, and 3 mins before the end of the cooking time, add the green beans. Drain, saving the pasta water. Rinse the linguine and beans under cool water to stop them cooking further.
• Add the remaining ricotta to the frying pan, breaking it up as much as possible. Pour in the 100ml milk and 2 tbsp of reserved pasta water, then cook down to thicken slightly for a couple of minutes. Add the pasta, beans and remaining lemon zest and parsley. Season to taste, mix in the meatballs and serve.