You don’t need pasta with meatballs, you know. Really good meatballs can stand on their own, without a starchy accompaniment (although I will never eat any kind of tomato sauce without a piece of good, crusty bread to sop up the traces of goodness on my plate.) I’ve eaten these meatballs with creamy, cheesy risotto cakes, but you could serve them over pasta or in a sandwich. Or, you could serve them on their own, with just the tomato sauce clinging to the pale exterior of the meatballs. The smoky element comes from bacon, which is in both the meatballs and the sauce.
Smoky Chicken Meatballs in a Roasted Tomato Sauce
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
3 slices of bacon
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 4 or 5 pieces
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 c. water
1/2 cup mixed olives (green and Kalamata), sliced
Salt
Pepper
Pre-heat oven to 350. Place the sliced tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, set aside.
In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the bacon and set aside. With the skillet over medium high heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat off. Remove half of the onion/garlic mixture and set aside to cool.
Add the roasted tomatoes to the skillet and add in two slices of bacon, crumbled. Add the water, 1 tsp of basil and 1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Puree sauce either in a blender (while the ingredients are still cool) or with a stick blender. Leave the sauce as chunky as you desire. Turn the heat to low and let simmer without a cover for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the other half of the cooled onions and garlic to a food processor, with the remaining slice of crispy bacon. Pulse for about 20 seconds. Add the chicken and pulse until chicken is ground and mixed with the onion/garlic mixture. Place mixture in a bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of basil and 1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes and the egg. Add about 1/4 tsp salt and a sprinkle of pepper. Mix everything together with your hands or with a spoon if you are squeamish, until well combined. If you are not sure about the seasoning, cook a small chunk of the mixture in a skillet and taste, then adjust seasonings accordingly.
Form meatballs into desired size. I use an ice cream scoop. Place the meatballs in the skillet with the sauce in a single layer. Gently scoop the sauce over the meatballs, then cover. Let simmer over low heat for about 20-25 minutes. Look in on the skillet occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid. You may need to add water. When the meatballs are completely firm, they are cooked. Gently stir in the olives. Enjoy!
Makes 2 servings.
