Creamy Rocket & Basil Pesto Spaghetti with Gruyère Chicken Meatballs

PREP + COOK TIME: 60 minutes

Ingredients

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Ingredients ✴

Rocket & Basil Pesto: 

• 1 cup packed (35g) baby wild rocket 

• 1 cup packed (35g) basil leaves + extra to garnish 

• ⅓ cup packed (10g) dill fronds & stems + extra to garnish 

• ¼ cup (35g) toasted pine nuts 

• 35g Talbot Forest Parmesan cheese, finely grated

• Zest of 1 small lemon + 1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice 

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra for cooking

Meatballs & Spaghetti:

• 5 small courgettes (about 550g), coarsely grated 

• 600g free-range chicken-thigh mince (see tip)

• 1 medium shallot (about 40g), very finely diced 

• 4 cloves garlic, minced (divided)

• 75g Talbot Forest Gruyère cheese, finely grated 

• ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs OR ground almonds 

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 300g good-quality dried spaghetti

• 125g full-fat sour cream

• 20g Talbot Forest Parmesan cheese, finely grated (to serve)

Directions

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Directions ✴

Rocket & Basil Pesto: Add all of the ingredients to a mini food processor along with ¼ tsp fine salt. Blend for about 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed, or until the mixture forms a smooth pesto. Set aside. 

Prepare Meatballs: Add the courgettes to a large bowl and sprinkle over 1 tsp fine salt. Toss together and set aside for about 10 minutes, to allow the salt to draw the water out of the courgette. After 10 minutes, transfer the salted courgette to the middle of a clean tea towel. Pull up the corners then twist and squeeze the tea towel to squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the courgette. 

Transfer ½ cup of the drained salted courgette to a medium mixing bowl - reserve the remaining courgette for the pasta. Add the chicken mince, shallot, 2 cloves of the minced garlic, Gruyère, breadcrumbs, mustard, ¼ cup (60ml) of the rocket & basil pesto to the bowl. Season with ¾ tsp fine salt. Use your hands to combine everything together. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to soak, then roll the mixture into golfball-sized balls. Set aside until ready to cook. 

Bring a large pot of heavily-salted water to the boil for the pasta.

Cook Meatballs: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, heavy-based non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add the meatballs to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, turning often, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a large plate and keep warm, covered. Wash and reserve the frying pan. 

Cook Pasta: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the reserved frying pan on medium-low heat. Add the remaining drained salted courgette and remaining 2 cloves of minced garlic to the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the courgette is tender and the garlic is fragrant. Turn the heat off and set aside. 

Add the spaghetti to the pot of boiling water, ensuring it is on high heat. Cook the spaghetti for about 8 minutes, or until almost tender.

Reserve 1 cup (250ml) pasta water from the pot, then add the pasta water to the pan with the courgette and turn the heat back onto medium. Add the remaining pesto and the sour cream to the pan and whisk together. Bring to a gentle simmer. Transfer the spaghetti straight from the pot to the pan with the sauce using tongs. Add the meatballs to the pan and toss everything gently, until the spaghetti and meatballs are coated in the sauce. 

To Serve: Serve the spaghetti and meatballs topped with the grated parmesan. Garnish with some extra basil and dill, if desired. 

Tip* I make my own chicken mince by blending chicken thighs in a food processor, as chicken breast mince can tend to be a little drier and less flavourful.