As long as we are a full six days before fall begins, I am allowed to sneak in one more zucchini recipe. It would be right there in my contract, had I one, above the expectation of ironed shoelaces and below that of a daily slice of chocolate biscuit cake. I’d actually intended this recipe for July (and the eggplant involtini for August). But July was so hot, and August wasn’t much better; I couldn’t bring myself to publish recipes that require oven time, so I waited for a better moment to arrive. Our patience has been rewarded; this brothy, late summer-y bowl of pasta and meatballs is absolutely perfect for right now, with the kind of sunny warm days that require a morning and evening cardigan — i.e. the very best weather on this earth, full stop.
We start with a sheet pan of ground turkey meatballs but we add pesto to them. We’ll roast them on a sheet pan with some vegetables that go well with pesto; I chose zucchini but others will work. While they roast, we’ll boil some orecchiette, whose shape acts like tiny meatball catcher mitts. And then we put everything together in a brothy pesto puddle in a bowl that might be a fork thing, might be a spoon thing, or might be both; I see no reason to choose.
Book tour! I promised you a Smitten Kitchen Keepers book tour announcement this week but something has come up — something good! — we are going to need one more week to get everything in order. I can’t wait to share everything with you; I hope we get to hang out this fall/winter.
Previously
6 months ago: Banana Cream Pie
1 year ago: Baked Farro with Summer Vegetables
2 years ago: Tangy Braised Chickpeas
3 years ago: Crisped Chickpeas with Herbs and Garlic Yogurt
4 years ago: Flapjacks
5 years ago: Tomato Bread
6 years ago: Plum Squares with Marzipan Crumble and Piri Piri Chicken
7 years ago: Caponata
8 years ago: Chocolate and Toasted Hazelnut Milk
9 years ago: Baked Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
10 years ago: Baked Orzo with Eggplant and Mozzarella
11 years ago: Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Mint
12 years ago: Peach Shortbread and Grape Focaccia with Rosemary
13 years ago: Corn Bread Salad and Chocolate Pudding Pie
14 years ago: The Baked Brownie, Spiced Up
15 years ago: Hoisin Barbecue Sauce, Lemon Layer Cake and Tortilla De Patatas
Turkey Pesto Meatballs and Orecchiette
If you use a bouillon base for broth, such as Better Than Bouillon, you could replace the 2 cups of broth with 2 additional cups of pasta cooking water and add the bouillon to it.- Olive oil
- 1 pound (455 grams) ground turkey
- 1/2 cup panko, or another plain, dry breadcrumb
- 1 cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought, divided
- 4 garlic cloves, minced, divided
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, plus more to serve
- 1 tablespoon water
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 pound (455 grams) zucchini or summer squash, sliced into 1/4″ half-moons
- 1 pound (455 grams) dried orecchiette
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (see Note)
Prepare the meatballs: Combine turkey, panko, 1/4 cup of the pesto, half the minced garlic, 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, water, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, many grinds of black pepper, and the egg in a large bowl with a fork, mixing until just combined. Coat your palms lightly with olive oil and use a heaped tablespoon or 1.5-tablespoon scoop to measure the meatballs, rolling them briefly in palms to smooth them, and space them out on the prepared sheet pan.
Prepare the zucchini: Toss zucchini in a big bowl with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and lots of black pepper. Scatter zucchini around the meatballs on the tray.
Roast meatballs and zucchini: Transfer the tray to the oven and roast for 15 to 18 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. For better color on top, transfer meatballs and vegetables to your oven’s broiler for 3 to 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the orecchiette: In a large pot of well-salted water, cook your pasta until 1 minute shy of done, so it still has a little bite left to it. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water [and up to 3 cups, if using the bouillon option, see Note up top].
Make brothy pesto and assemble: Heat empty pasta pot over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 garlic cloves. Cook garlic until just golden at the edges, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of broth and bring it to a simmer. Add 1/2 cup of remaining pesto, stir just until warmed. Transfer meatballs and zucchini to brothy pesto in the pot, and add drained pasta. Cook everything together, tossing to evenly coat, for 1 to 2 minutes.
Distribute meatballs, zucchini, and orecchiette to wide serving bowls, ladling over any pesto broth left in the pot. Finish each bowl with an additional spoonful of remaining pesto, more salt and pepper, and grated parmesan cheese. Eat right away.
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