Parmesan Meatballs and Orzo in Mozzarella and Basil Cream Sauce
Description
Instead of meatballs in spaghetti sauce with spaghetti, it's time to make meatballs in a cream sauce with orzo! There are a lot of ingredients listed, but you probably already have most of them in your pantry, so why not give it a try!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 c. Panko breadcrumbs
1 c. finely freshly grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 c. dry chopped onion
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 T. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried oregano
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
couple splashes of milk
Cream Sauce:
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 small shallot
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 c. chicken stock/broth
1 1/2 c. milk, regular or low-fat
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 T. cornstarch
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
1 c. frozen baby peas, thawed
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c.flat leaf parsley, minced
10 basil leafs, chiffonade**
Garnish:
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh basil
fresh parsley
freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
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Meatballs:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Add all of the meatball ingredients to a large bowl; mix until evenly combined. Form meatballs into heaping 1 tablespoon balls. It will make about 40 meatballs.
Lightly coat the bottom of a large non-stick skillet with olive oil; heat to medium-high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides in batches. Drain on paper towels; line on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 -15 minutes or until cooked through.
In the meantime, cook orzo pasta in generously salted water.
Cream Sauce:
Whisk cornstarch with milk; set aside.
Melt butter in olive oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet. Add shallots and garlic; saute 60 seconds. Sprinkle in flour; cook while stirring for 3 minutes; turn heat to low. Slowly whisk in stock/broth, then milk, then heavy cream, stirring constantly until smooth. Turn heat to medium-high; bring sauce to a simmer while stirring constantly. Stir in mustard and dry spices; continue to simmer until almost thickened, stirring occasionally. Add peas; continue to simmer until thickened and peas are cooked through.
Reduce heat to low; stir in Parmesan cheese until melted, followed by mozzarella cheese until melted. Stir in basil and parsley, followed by orzo and meatballs, adding additional milk if necessary, to reach desired consistency.
Taste and season with salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes, to taste.
Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese,parsley, basil and lemon juice.
4-6 servings