Picky Kids, Tired Parents? Everyone Wins With This Quick Meal That Sneaks In Veggies 

Having picky eaters in the house can feel like a losing battle. They want the same plain pasta every night, and without the time or energy to make your own meal, you’re stuck eating their one-note leftovers. 

With the parents’ dilemma in mind, we asked recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist extraordinaire Aubrey Devin to create a meal that looks like that same plain pasta, but sneaks in healthy veggies. And for an added bonus, Aubrey shared adult-friendly options to make the meal appetizing for parents, too. It’s all ready in 30 minutes for a big upgrade to your average weeknight dinner. 

Stay tuned for more picky-eater and parent-approved recipes! 

Chicken Meatball Pasta Two Ways

Kids get butter noodles with veggie-filled chicken meatballs, grated cheese, and optional olives on top. Parents add a Mediterranean spin (and more veggies) with capers, olives, hearts of palm, and spinach. 

Yield: 2 kid servings + 2 adult servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1.25 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ cup quick oats (or panko or any breadcrumb of choice) 
2 cups mixed light-colored veggies to blend in or “hide” in the ground chicken, chopped (you can also add leftover roasted or steamed veggies or canned beans, such as ½ cup chopped raw carrot + ½ cup chopped onion + ½ cup raw mushrooms + ½ cup baked white sweet potato)
4-5 garlic cloves
⅓ cup pecorino, manchego, or Parmesan cheese, grated & divided
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
Cooking spray or oil
1 8 oz box pasta of choice
3-4 tablespoons butter
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup olives of choice, pitted
¾ cup hearts of palm, sliced
2 tablespoons capers
2 cups spinach, kale, or radicchio, torn 
½ lemon
Fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425° F and bring a large pot of salted water to boil. 

Slice the chicken into roughly 2- to 3-inch pieces.

In the base of a food processor, add the oats and pulse a few times until you get fine crumbs. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Back in the food processor, add the chicken and pulse until it resembles a coarse grind. Scrape out into the same mixing bowl with the oat crumbs. One last time in the food processor, add the raw mixed veggies and garlic, pulse to form a coarse grind, then add cooked veggies or beans (if using) and pulse until broken down and incorporated. Add veggie mixture to the other ingredients in the large mixing bowl. 

Add grated cheese, salt, and egg to the bowl, then mix by hand or with a spoon until fully incorporated. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray or oil. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the ground chicken mixture into your hands, roll into a ball, and place on the tray. Continue until you form all meatballs, then spray them lightly with cooking spray. Place tray in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until fully cooked through, then remove from the oven. 

While the meatballs are in the oven, cook the pasta and drain, saving ½ cup pasta water. Gather the rest of the pasta ingredients (olives, hearts of palm, capers, spinach or baby kale, and lemon) and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough pasta noodles for two kids plus 1-2 tablespoons butter and a splash of pasta water, stir to create a creamy sauce, and heat through. Add enough meatballs for the kids and add some olives if they like. Divide between two kid bowls and garnish with grated cheese.

For parents, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the hearts of palm, and the capers in the same large skillet over medium heat. Cook for a minute or two, until warmed through. Add the noodles, chicken meatballs, olives, spinach (or other greens), and a few tablespoons of pasta water. Stir and heat until warmed though and the greens are just wilted. Finish with a tablespoon or two of butter, stir until melted and noodles look glossy, and season to taste — you probably won’t need extra salt because you’re getting plenty of it with the capers, olives, and cheese. 

Garnish with the juice of ¼ lemon, basil, and extra grated cheese.

Refrigerate any extra meatballs for delicious leftovers. 

Recipe credit: Aubrey Devin