Pesto is one of the best ingredients and if you use it solely for the sauce, you’re missing out. If I’m making a pesto pasta, my favorite thing to do is include pesto in the protein as well. It adds so much flavor and keeps it nice and juicy. For this version of a Sunday Supper (gotta be pasta for Sunday Supper) I didn’t need a ton of ingredients to have a ton of flavor thanks to that pesto.
First make the meatballs by mixing together ground chicken with pesto (I used the Trader Joe’s kale and cashew pesto from the refrigerated section), a handful of panko, an egg, salt, and pepper. Bake them on a silicone mat in a 375 oven for about 22-25 minutes. While the meatballs cook, prep the pasta (I used rigatoni) and be sure to use a big pot. That large pot will come in handy in the last 2 minutes of boiling because that’s the point when you’ll add in a bag of fresh baby spinach to let it properly wilt. Note: the spinach will still stay pretty firm so you’ll actually feel like you’re eating a vegetable with this meal – that’s a good thing. When the pasta is all cooked, drain it (along with the spinach) and add to your serving bowl. Once the meatballs are done, toss them with the pasta/spinach mix, add more pesto, some torn boccancini, grated parmesan, and some red pepper flakes. No measurements with any of this. go with vibes and you won’t go wrong.
Peaches to Apples 