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Zucchini Parmesan Chicken Meatballs with Lemon Pasta Carbonara…classic creamy Italian carbonara sauce, updated with crisp chicken zucchini meatballs and tossed with caramelized lemon and fresh basil. Finish the pasta off with fried caper breadcrumbs for a delicious crunch. Perfect easy summer dinner, any night of the week. Everyone in the house will enjoy this dish!
If I had to choose the recipe for you to all be making this week, tonight even, it would be these meatballs. The crazy thing…and I’ve said this before, but for someone who has really avoided making meatballs in the past, I sure have taken a liking to them.
So far I’ve shared butter chicken meatballs, coconut curry chicken meatballs, sticky sesame ginger meatballs, and the very delicious and popular, Greek meatballs. Yep, a lot of meatballs, but you know something? They’re delicious, easy, and always well-loved.
Which brings me to today’s meatballs.
Side note, let’s start keeping track of how many times I say the word meatball throughout this post.
This is my end of summer meatball pasta. In keeping with the unplanned theme of the week, this is the perfect late summer meets early fall dinner. AND it’s a fun, delicious way to sneak zucchini into everyone’s meal.
Start with the meatballs.
They’re a simple mix of ground chicken (or ground turkey), shredded zucchini, and parmesan. Think of the flavors you love in a really good chicken parmesan, but in the form of a cute little meatball, and with the addition of zucchini. The zucchini helps to keep the meatballs moist while baking.
Mix the ingredients in a large bowl. Once the meatballs are formed, arrange them on a baking sheet with lemon slices. Bake until they just begin to crisp. Now add breadcrumbs and capers to the pan. Return everything to the oven and cook until the meatballs are cooked throughout and the breadcrumbs golden.
Keep the crumbs and capers together, these are the crunchy fried caper breadcrumbs I mentioned above.
Next chop the lemon slices and toss with lots and lots of fresh basil. Now toss them with the pasta carbonara.
There are a few moving steps to this, so to recap you have your meatballs, your breadcrumb topping, and the lemony basil mix to toss with the pasta. It’s all made on one sheet pan to simplify the process and keep the dishes down too.
Tip? Make your own fresh breadcrumbs with a loaf of day-old bread. Simply pulse the torn pieces of bread in a food processor, or simply tear the bread into smaller pieces. It’s so easy to do and really adds a lot of flavor to any recipe calling for bread crumbs.
Meanwhile, work on the pasta carbonara.
While the meatballs are cooking, start the pasta.
You’ll need eggs, parmesan cheese, garlic, basil, and either spaghetti or bucatini pasta. The key to a good carbonara is to serve it right after tossing. So having everything prepped and ready to go before cooking is key.
Whisk the eggs with parmesan, garlic, and fresh basil. Boil the pasta and as soon as the pasta has finished cooking, immediately toss it with the eggs. This step is really important…but don’t worry it’s also really easy. Just be sure to toss, toss, toss for a good minute until the sauce thickens. The heat from the pasta cooks the eggs and produces the silkiest, smoothest, and creamiest pasta sauce. It’s melt in your mouth good.
At this point, toss in the lemon basil mix to add a touch more flavor.
By the time the meatballs are finished cooking, the pasta should ideally be ready too. So serve everything up immediately.
Twirl the pasta onto your plates, add those parmesan meatballs, and top with the crispy, crunchy golden fried caper breadcrumbs.
And that’s it. Not too tricky, right?
But so very delicious! And the biggest bonus? Your kids will love this too. Perfect back to school dinner…or you know…back to homeschooling dinner.
Looking for other weeknight pasta? Here are a few ideas:
Roasted Red Pepper Alla Vodka Pasta with Cheesy Oregano Breadcrumbs
Browned Butter Scallops and Burst Tomato Basil Pasta
Lastly, if you make these zucchini parmesan chicken meatballs with lemon pasta carbonara, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Zucchini Parmesan Chicken Meatballs with Lemon Pasta Carbonara
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 649 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 zucchini, grated
- 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 lemon, sliced and seeds removed
- 2 tablespoon drained capers
- 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
Lemon Pasta Carbonaro
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 3/4 pound spaghetti or bucatini pasta
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with oil. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.2. Add the chicken, grated zucchini, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, the parmesan, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a bowl. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with olive oil and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (this will make 20-22 meatballs). Place on the prepared baking sheet. Arrange the lemon slices around the meatballs. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. 3. Remove from oven, slide the meatballs to one side of the pan, add the remaining 1 cup breadcrumbs, and the capers. Toss the crumbs and capers with 2 tablespoon olive oil and the red pepper flakes. Return to the oven and cook another 5 minutes, watching closely, until the meatballs are cooked through and the crumbs golden. 4. Remove the breadcrumbs from the pan. Season with salt. Remove the lemon from the pan. Finely chop the lemon slices and mix with 1/2 cup fresh basil, reserving the mix for tossing with the pasta. 5. Meanwhile, make the carbonara. Whisk together the eggs, parmesan, garlic, and basil, in a large serving bowl.6. Boil the pasta until al dente. Before draining, scoop out 1 cup pasta water, then drain. Immediately add the hot pasta to the egg/cheese mixture, tossing quickly (to ensure the eggs do not scramble) until the eggs thicken and create a sauce. Thin the sauce with the reserved pasta water, until it reaches your desired consistency. Add the butter and about a 1/4 of the reserved lemon basil mix, gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.7. Divide the pasta between plates. Top with meatballs, breadcrumbs, and additional lemon/basil, to taste. Twirl the pasta up…EAT and ENJOY.
Notes
To Make Fresh Breadcrumbs: Pulse torn bread in a food processor until roughly the size of peppercorns. I like to use ciabatta or crusty sourdough bread. If using fresh crumbs, toast them 3-4 minutes in the skillet first.
This post was originally published on August 27, 2020
My boyfriend and I loved the carbonara recipe and the meatballs, but the lemon/basil mixture was too sour and ruined the dish! He ended up throwing it away because he said it was inedible 🙁 maybe sub it with something else? The meatballs were amazing though!
Hey Sofia,
I am so sorry to hear this! I am wondering if your lemons were caramelized enough? That is really key to the mixture! I hope this helps for next time. xTieghan
Couldn’t wait to make this recipe! Meatballs were great. What a surprising way to use zucchini! Sauce for the pasta was delicious. I agree with another comment that the lemon rinds were a little bitter. There is a lot going on in this recipe with a lot of moving parts. It ended up taking longer than I thought it would so I’m not sure I’d make it again for a family weeknight meal. I’d save this recipe for a special dinner. Would love to find another dipping sauce for the meatballs too. The meatballs will be a go to for me in late summer!
Thank you for the delicious recipes!
Thank you so much for trying them, Ann! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
2nd night this week that I used one of your recipes! This meal is delicious, but I have one little negative comment. I would like if the recipe was divided into meatball ingredient only, followed by the remainder. I unfortunately added way too many breadcrumbs to the meatballs as I hadn’t read the recipe instructions closely enough. Luckily I was able to “save the day/meal” with an egg and some extra parmesan!
Other than that…delicious!
Aw I am so sorry about that! I am glad this still turned out well for you, Elna! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I made this recipe last night and it was fabulous!! So many layers of flavors! We like our food a bit on the spicy side so i went for the full teaspoon of crushed red and it had just the right amount of zing. Will definitely be making this again.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipes with us, I will definitely be trying out some others.
Valerie
Thank you Valerie!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi! I plan to make this tonight and am wondering if I need to add an extra egg for the sauce if using a full pound of pasta vs 3/4? Thanks!
Hey Stephanie,
Yes I would recommend doing that. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just curious, do you need to squeeze out the liquid from the zucchini before adding it to the meatballs? I’ve seen a few other recipes that do that. I’m not sure if it’s necessary or not.
Hey Laura,
For this recipe I don’t, it helps to keep the meatballs moist. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Ok, we just finished dinner, and Tieghan, this was absolutely delicious. After every bite, my husband kept commenting on how wonderful it is. The roasted lemon, cut up, takes it to another level all together.
Thanks for your fabulous, creative recipes. I follow other food bloggers and you are by far our favorite!
Thank you so much Jan!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan – huge fan of your recipes and really want to give this a go. However, ground chicken is not a big thing in the UK; would ground pork or lamb work? Thank you! Cat
Hey Cat,
Sure either of those would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Big hit in our house! My husband loved the pasta and my young kids devoured the meatballs! I think next time I will add some lemon zest to the meatballs and then roast larger chunks of lemon in the oven. The rind made things pretty bitter but using the juice/roasted jammy bits of the center of the lemon made for a great tang. Only two suggestions I’d say to change otherwise delicious!
Thank you so much! Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with! xTieghan
Could I use ground turkey breast instead of chicken?
Hey Katie,
Yes, ground turkey will work too. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Do you know how long I should bake the meatballs at if I’m cooking at 350 degrees? Fire alarm goes off everytime it’s above 375, regardless of whether something is smoking or burning, so I’ve been cooking things at 350.
Hey Kiley,
I would bake the 15 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We just made this dish tonight and we’re doing low carb/no carb so I switched out the breadcrumbs with almond flour and the pasta with zoodles. I also don’t care for capers so I used cherry peppers instead which added a great pop of flavor to the breadcrumbs. I wasn’t a huge fan of the roasted lemon rinds so I pulled the roasted pulp out and mixed it with the basil, the roasted lemon is a vital part of this dish and adds a pop of freshness. This dish was absolutely delicious and I would make it again in a heartbeat!
Thank you so much Sabrina! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Making this right now and it looks delicious. I don’t have fresh basil on hand. Would you recommend dry basil or I also have fresh oregano?
Hey Penny,
I think fresh oregano would be great! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was possibly the best meatball and pasta recipe I’ve ever had. The meatballs were so flavorful, tender, and juicy – thanks to the grated zucchini (which, bonus! – my kids didn’t even notice). Don’t skip the roasted lemon slices and bread crumbs, they really add just the right bit of extra flavor. I’m making these regularly now.
Thank you so much Laura! I am so happy you enjoyed this! xTieghan
Sorry if this is a dumb question.. do you chop the entire lemon? Ribs and all??
Hey Stella,
Sorry for the confusion, yes I chop the whole lemon. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan