Baked Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Butternut Squash and Spinach Orzo is a great choice when you’re craving comfort food on a cold Fall or Winter night. This recipe will show you how to make chicken meatballs from scratch, but you can simplify this recipe by using store-bought ones. You can also make this pasta dish meatless by using plant-based meatballs. This recipe is very flexible and easily adaptable.
Chicken meatballs with orzo
This creamy chicken pasta uses a winning combo of ingredients: baked chicken meatballs, roasted butternut squash, spinach, orzo, garlic, cream, and Parmesan cheese. It’s a perfect comfort food to make during the colder months of the year. I used store-bought peeled and pre-cut butternut squash which saved me a ton of time and made the whole recipe a breeze! Making chicken meatballs from scratch is also easier than you think! This is a perfect recipe for a cozy family weeknight dinner but also appropriate for entertaining guests.
Well-balanced meal
This delicious recipe is packed with veggies and protein – a perfect and nutritious dinner to make on a busy weeknight. It has everything you need in a complete meal: protein (chicken meatballs), veggies and fiber (butternut squash and spinach), and pasta (orzo).
Substitutions and variations
What I love about this recipe is that it is very flexible and easily adaptable.
- Ground meat. You can use ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground beef in this recipe.
- A good substitute for butternut squash is sweet potatoes. This way you can make this recipe year-round by using sweet potatoes when the butternut squash is not in season.
- Seasonings can include dried oregano, fresh thyme, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, regular paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, etc.
- Cheese. You can totally skip the Parmesan cheese or use a different cheese, such as Asiago, Pecorino Romano, or Gruyere.
- Use store-bought chicken meatballs if you have a favorite brand that you enjoy.
- Make it meatless by use store-bought plant-based meatballs.
- Toppings. When serving, you can add grated Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, fresh herbs, or cracked black pepper to the orzo pasta.
How to make it gluten-free
- Panko breadcrumbs. To make chicken meatballs gluten-free, make sure to use GF panic breadcrumbs or GF breadcrumbs.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using GF orzo or long rice instead of regular orzo.
Other chicken orzo recipes you might like
- Creamy Chicken Orzo with Butternut Squash and Spinach
- Chicken Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes, Spinach, and Basil Pesto
More butternut squash and orzo recipes you might like
- Butternut Squash and Black Bean Orzo with Sausage
- Creamy Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup with Orzo and Spinach
- Creamy Butternut Squash Orzo with Sausage
Baked Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Butternut Squash and Spinach Orzo
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Ingredients
Chicken meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Roasted butternut squash
- 12 oz butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Orzo
- 1 cup orzo uncooked
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- ½ cup half-and-half
- salt and pepper
- fresh thyme
Instructions
Bake chicken meatballs
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Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Mix all ingredients for chicken meatballs with a large fork or spoon in a large mixing bowl.
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Make about 20 or 25 small meatballs (by rolling them with your hands) and place them on a baking sheet.
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Bake for 30 minutes until cooked through.
Roast Butternut Squash
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In a large bowl, toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.
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Spread the squash on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding.
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Roast in the preheated oven at 400 F on the middle rack at 400 F for 20 or 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
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Roast the squash at the same time as you’re baking the meatballs. Proceed with the rest of the recipe in the meantime.
Cook orzo
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To the large, high-sided skillet add 1 cup of uncooked orzo, minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the orzo on medium heat, stirring, for about 2 minutes until browned.
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Add 2 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the orzo is cooked through.
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Add spinach, and stir it in until it wilts on low-medium heat.
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Add ½ cup of half-and-half, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Assembly
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Add roasted butternut squash and baked chicken meatballs to the cooked orzo. Top with fresh thyme.
Notes
Half-and-half is half heavy cream, half milk. 1 cup of half-and-half is ½ cup of heavy cream (about 34 % fat content) + ½ cup of milk.
Nutrition
