Florentine Mac and Cheese and Roast Chicken Sausage Meatballs Recipe

Florentine Mac and Cheese with Roasted Chicken Sausage Meatballs Recipe | Rachael Ray

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 1358, Total Fat 62 g, Saturated Fat 27 g, Carbohydrates 117 g, Dietary Fiber 8 g, Sugar 9 g, Protein 82 g, Cholesterol 287 mg, Sodium 1529 mg

Total Time: 40 minutes

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound cavatappi pasta (hollow, corkscrew-shaped)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
• Black pepper
• 2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs, plus extra if needed
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• A pinch of grated nutmeg

Instructions

• Preheat: Preheat your oven to 450F.
• Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the cavatappi until al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• Make meatball mixture: In a large bowl combine the ground chicken, salt, pepper, chopped rosemary, fennel seeds, grated garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, ricotta, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano, the egg, and the bread crumbs. If the mixture is too soft, add more bread crumbs until it firms up.
• Form and roast meatballs: Shape into 8 large meatballs (about 34 inches each). Toss them with a few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, place on a baking sheet lightly coated with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and roast 1718 minutes until juices run clear.
• Defrost and drain spinach: Defrost the frozen spinach (microwave defrost for 810 minutes or thaw another way), then thoroughly squeeze out all excess liquid using a towel or a shallow dish to catch moisture.
• Make the sauce: While meatballs roast, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and milk; season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of grated nutmeg. Cook, stirring frequently, 56 minutes until thickened. Stir in the remaining 1 cup grated Parmigiano and reduce heat to low.
• Finish sauce with spinach: Fold the squeezed-dry spinach into the sauce, then stir in the reserved 1 cup pasta water to loosen if needed. Adjust seasoning.
• Toss pasta and serve: Combine the drained pasta with the spinach cream sauce. Serve the Florentine mac and cheese with two roasted chicken sausage meatballs per person on the side.