Chicken Miso Meatballs with Cherry Tomato Sauce and Zucchini Noodles
Making meatballs was a Sunday ritual at my house growing up. They included three types of meat and an extravagant heaping of grated Pecorino, and were also a good way to use up stale bread. My grandmother’s secret technique for keeping the meatballs from drying out while simmering in a pot of sauce? A raisin pressed into the center of each one.
While those meatballs were a big part of my family’s Sunday meals—and they are delicious—the combination of meat and cheese means they contain too much saturated fat to be a regular part of my brain-healthy diet. As much as I miss them, my grandmother’s meatballs were due for brain health makeover.
Finally, I’ve created a light and tender meatball made with chicken that’s just as flavorful as the ones I grew up with. These chicken miso meatballs have a secret ingredient that boosts flavor without relying on cheese: miso paste.
Miso paste is a fermented food that adds rich flavor
Miso is a fermented food teeming with deep, salty flavors. It’s nutrient-dense too, providing vitamin E, isoflavones (a type of flavonoid), and polyunsaturated fats (the brain-friendly ones). Made by the slow fermentation of plant foods like soybeans, barley, and chickpeas, miso also provides beneficial bacteria that can contribute to gut health. Here, the combination of miso and minced garlic amps up the flavor just like the Pecorino of my grandmother’s meatballs. Miso paste and Pecorino both give foods umami—a deeply savory flavor that makes food especially tasty.
Poultry is a brain-healthy food group in the MIND diet study
Chicken is one of the ten brain-healthy food groups in the MIND diet study, one of the most successful dietary patterns proven to fend off age-related cognitive decline. A spin-off of the Mediterranean diet, the MIND diet emphasizes certain neuroprotective foods, such as berries, leafy greens, and vegetables. The MIND diet allows two or more servings of lean poultry (such as chicken and turkey) each week, as long as it’s not fried.
These chicken miso meatballs are tiny for a reason
Eating poultry as the MIND diet researchers describe means keeping the serving size under 3 ounces. After all, the MIND diet is a plant-predominant diet. While my grandmother’s meatballs were as big as a child’s fist, these chicken miso meatballs are intentionally small to keep within MIND diet guidelines. Plus, you get to enjoy more of them!
Whenever you eat meat, fill your plate with plants, too
When eating any type of meat, three-quarters of your plate should be plant foods, like the tomatoes and zucchini noodles that go with the meatballs. Employing brain-healthy cooking techniques (like baking and braising instead of frying) is also key. Rather than frying in a pan, these meatballs are baked and finished by braising in the sauce.
Let’s face it: lean ground chicken may be a brain-healthier cut of chicken, but it needs a little help to be turned into amazing meatballs. These may not be my just like my nonna’s, but after tinkering with countless variations of this recipe, I can say they are just as delicious. And, they are certainly better for you.
Prep Time | 30 minutes |
Servings |
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- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey
- 1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs or ½ cup chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 large egg
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic divided
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup white wine chicken or vegetable broth, or water
- pinch red pepper flakes optional
- 3 medium zucchini, spiralized or 4 to 5 cups premade zucchini noodles
- Fresh basil torn, for serving
Ingredients
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- Preheat the oven to 350ºF with a rack set in the center position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; brush with 1 tablespoon of the oil and set aside.
- Place the chicken, bread crumbs, miso paste, egg, and 1 teaspoon of the garlic in a medium bowl. Use your hands to gently combine, then roll and shape mixture compress into 1-inch balls, placing on the baking sheet as you work. You should have 25 to 30 meatballs. Bake until springy to the touch and starting to brown, or an instant-read thermometer placed in the center of a meatball reads 165º F, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Warm the remaining ¼ cup oil in a large skillet (that has a lid) over medium-low heat. Add the tomatoes, remaining 2 teaspoons garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes start to burst, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the white wine and a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using), stir to scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook for a few minutes to reduce the sauce by about half.
- When the meatballs are cooked through, slide them into the sauce, adjust the heat to low, and cook with the lid ajar until the sauce is thick enough to coat the meatballs, about 5 minutes.
- To serve, divide zucchini noodles, meatballs, and sauce between 4 shallow bowls. Top with fresh basil.
To make bread crumbs, remove the crust from 2 pieces of whole grain bread (preferably day-old) and pulse in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs.
Brushing the parchment-lined baking sheet with olive oil before baking keeps the meatballs from sticking. Feel free to drizzle them with a little more oil, too.
For gluten-free meatballs, use gluten-free bread crumbs or use ½ cup chickpea flour instead.
One medium (5- to 6-ounce) zucchini yields 1½ cups zucchini noodles if using the spaghetti-shaped blade. The only “cooking” they’ll need is a quick toss with the hot sauce.
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