Cottage Cheese Meatballs with Butternut Squash Sauce by @pinchofyum

45 min

4 servings

🍗

450 g

Ground chicken

🥖

120 g + 120 ml

Panko

🧀

75 g + 60 ml

Parmesan

🧀

170 g

Cottage cheese

🧄

3 g

Garlic powder

🧂

1 g

Italian seasoning

🧂

6 g

Salt

🥕

710 g

Butternut squash sauce

🥛

60 ml

Heavy cream

🫒

22 ml

Olive oil

  1. Preheat
    • cottage cheese

    Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Blend the 3/4 cup cottage cheese until smooth.

  2. Combine
    • ground chicken
    • panko breadcrumbs
    • Parmesan cheese

    Combine the ground chicken, 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, blended cottage cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

  3. Mix
    • ground chicken

    Mix the meatball mixture gently until evenly combined. Roll the mixture into approximately 16 equal meatballs.

  4. Heat
    • olive oil
    • ground chicken

    Heat about 1 teaspoon olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry the meatballs until golden on the outside, turning them as needed.

  5. Pour
    • butternut squash sauce
    • ground chicken

    Pour the 25-ounce jar of butternut squash sauce around the browned meatballs. Transfer the oven-safe skillet to the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

  6. Step
    • ground chicken

    Check that the center of the largest meatball reaches at least 165°F (74°C). Remove the skillet from the oven.

  7. Stir
    • heavy cream
    • butternut squash sauce
    • panko breadcrumbs

    Stir the 1/4 cup heavy cream into the hot butternut squash sauce. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and remaining olive oil in a bowl.

  8. Sprinkle
    • panko breadcrumbs
    • Parmesan cheese
    • olive oil

    Sprinkle the panko-Parmesan mixture evenly over the meatballs and sauce. Broil until the topping is golden and crispy, watching closely to prevent burning.

Cottage Cheese Meatballs with Butternut Squash Sauce by @pinchofyum

45 min

4 servings

🍗

450 g

Ground chicken

🥖

120 g + 120 ml

Panko

🧀

75 g + 60 ml

Parmesan

🧀

170 g

Cottage cheese

🧄

3 g

Garlic powder

🧂

1 g

Italian seasoning

🧂

6 g

Salt

🥕

710 g

Butternut squash sauce

🥛

60 ml

Heavy cream

🫒

22 ml

Olive oil

Preparation Steps

  1. Step 1/8

    Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Blend the 3/4 cup cottage cheese until smooth.

    🧀cottage cheese
    🥄measuring cups

  2. Step 2/8

    Combine the ground chicken, 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, blended cottage cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

    🍗ground chicken
    🥖panko breadcrumbs
    🧀Parmesan cheese
    🧀cottage cheese
    🧄garlic powder
    🧂Italian seasoning
    🧂salt
    🥣large mixing bowl
    🥄measuring cups
    🥄measuring spoons

  3. Step 3/8

    Mix the meatball mixture gently until evenly combined. Roll the mixture into approximately 16 equal meatballs.

    🍗ground chicken
    🥣large mixing bowl

  4. Step 4/8

    Heat about 1 teaspoon olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry the meatballs until golden on the outside, turning them as needed.

    🫒olive oil
    🍗ground chicken
    🥄spatula

  5. Step 5/8

    Pour the 25-ounce jar of butternut squash sauce around the browned meatballs. Transfer the oven-safe skillet to the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

    🥕butternut squash sauce
    🍗ground chicken
    🥄spatula

  6. Step 6/8

    Check that the center of the largest meatball reaches at least 165°F (74°C). Remove the skillet from the oven.

    🍗ground chicken
    🌡️instant-read thermometer

  7. Step 7/8

    Stir the 1/4 cup heavy cream into the hot butternut squash sauce. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and remaining olive oil in a bowl.

    🥛heavy cream
    🥕butternut squash sauce
    🥖panko breadcrumbs
    🧀Parmesan cheese
    🫒olive oil
    🥣large mixing bowl
    🥄wooden spoon
    🥄measuring cups

  8. Step 8/8

    Sprinkle the panko-Parmesan mixture evenly over the meatballs and sauce. Broil until the topping is golden and crispy, watching closely to prevent burning.

    🥖panko breadcrumbs
    🧀Parmesan cheese
    🫒olive oil

Composition

Ingredients

Types

Meat, Dairy, Cheese, Seasoning, Spices, Herbs, Sauce, Vegetables, Oil, Fat

Ingredients

Ground chicken, Panko, Parmesan, Cottage cheese, Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, Salt, Butternut squash sauce, Heavy cream, Olive oil

Notes

Ground chicken (or turkey), Panko (for the crispy topping), Parmesan (for the crispy topping), Cottage cheese (blended, ends up more like 1/2 cup once blended, used in place of ricotta), Italian seasoning (or oregano, sage, or thyme), Butternut squash sauce (a jar from Costco), Olive oil (1-2 tablespoons, used for frying and topping)

Allergens

Milk

Dietetics

Dietary regimen

High protein

Calories

610 kcal

Macro nutrients

Protein: 37g, Carbohydrates: 39g, Fat: 33g, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 9g

Nutritional Information

Minerals

Calcium: 340mg, Iron: 2.2mg, Potassium: 620mg, Sodium: 1250mg

Vitamins

Vitamin A: 560mcg RAE, Vitamin C: 8mg, Vitamin B12: 1.1mcg, Vitamin D: 0.8mcg

Preparation

Time Information

Preparation

20 minutes

Cooking

25 minutes

Overall

45 minutes

Difficulty

Level

Medium (2/4)

Steps

8 steps

Equipments

Utensils

large mixing bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoons, spatula, wooden spoon, instant-read thermometer

Appliances

Blender, Stove, Oven

Type

Type

Type Of Dish

Main Course

Occasions

Dinner, Weeknight meal, Fall

Origin

Source

Platform

instagram

Original Creator

@pinchofyum

Origin

Cuisine

American, Italian

Geographic

United States, North America

Various

Aspect

Texture

Tender, Juicy, Creamy, Crispy, Crunchy

Flavors

Savory, Creamy, Cheesy, Garlicky, Herby, Sweet, Rich

Other

Price

Medium

Recommended Preservation

fridge

Preservation Infos

room temperature : 120 min (Do not leave cooked meatballs and dairy-based sauce out for longer than 2 hours,Reduce to 60 minutes if the ambient temperature is above 90°F (32°C)), fridge : 3 to 4 days (Cool promptly and store in an airtight container,Reheat meatballs to 165°F (74°C),Store the crispy topping separately when possible to preserve texture), freezer : 2 to 3 months (Freeze in airtight freezer-safe containers,Thaw overnight in the refrigerator,The panko topping may lose crispness after freezing)