Chicken Parmesan Meatball Casserole

After way too much eating and drinking last week on vacation, I was craving a delicious homemade meal! This was really easy to make and I didn't feel too guilty eating it. Plus it's a great excuse to pair with a nice red wine :)

You will need:

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground lean chicken

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1/4 cup of milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

For the casserole:

1 pound of ziti type of pasta 

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 jar of tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 450. Meanwhile in a start boiling a large pot of water for the pasta. Combine all the meatball ingredients together with your hands and form small 1 inch meatballs. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Once pasta is cooked (I used whole wheat organic fusilloni pasta), drain, and return to pot. Add cooked meatballs and the jar of sauce (I used organic Classico tomato sauce). Stir until consistent. Layer the meatball/pasta combo in a casserole dish and top with half of the shredded mozzarella. Top with the rest of the meatball/pasta combo and finish it off with a top layer of mozzarella. Cook on 350 for 20 minutes. 

I should have added some salt to the meatballs but that's just my preference. Enjoy!

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