Gradual Cooker Tuscan Hen Meatballs with Gnocchi

Gradual Cooker Tuscan Hen Meatballs with Gnocchi combines tender Tuscan hen meatballs with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and pillowy potato gnocchi—all in a creamy sauce. It’s a lightened-up twist on an Italian traditional for 6 Factors a serving.

This hearty and comforting meal is straightforward to make, wealthy in flavors, and is bound to please a crowd. For extra wholesome and and delicous meal concepts, flick through our Weight Watchers dinner recipes, soup recipes, and wholesome desserts!

Why must you attempt Gradual Cooker Tuscan Hen Meatballs with Gnocchi?

This dish isn’t simply scrumptious; it’s a flavorful escape that satisfies on a number of ranges. Right here’s why Gradual Cooker Tuscan Hen Meatballs with Gnocchi deserves a spot in your meal plan:

• Wealthy Layers of Taste: From the creamy sauce to the savory hen meatballs, and that contact of sun-dried tomatoes, this recipe packs in daring, comforting flavors. The gnocchi soaks up the sauce, which makes them even higher.
• A Satisfying Meal: That is a kind of recipes that doesn’t really feel like “food regimen meals.” It’s indulgent and leaves you feeling absolutely glad. The style and presentation give a break from typical low-calorie meals, so it’s price savoring each level.
• Straightforward, Set-It-and-Neglect-It Cooking: With minimal prep, this sluggish cooker meal can simmer away by itself, permitting the flavors to mix completely whereas releasing you as much as deal with different duties.
• Crowd-Pleasing Italian Consolation: The mixture of creamy gnocchi and juicy meatballs is more likely to be successful with everybody. If you happen to’re serving household or buddies, this meal has each the flavour and the visible attraction to impress.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Prepare dinner Time: 3 hours (on excessive setting)

Servings: 6

Serving Measurement: 1 portion (roughly 1 cup or 200 g)

6 WW Factors Per Serving. You’ll be able to view the recipe on the WW App right here. (WW login required.)

Components

For the Hen Meatballs:

• 1 lb floor hen breast (450 g)
• ½ cup breadcrumbs (50 g)
• 1 small egg
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (25 g)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp oil (for greasing)

For the Tuscan Hen Meatballs with Gnocchi:

• Ready hen meatballs
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (50 g)
• 3 cups hen broth (720 ml)
• ½ lb potato gnocchi (225 g)
• 4 cups recent spinach (120 g)
• 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt (250 g)
• 1 medium onion, diced (150 g)
• ½ tsp salt, or to style
• ¼ tsp black pepper, or to style
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (elective) (25 g)
• 1 tsp oil (for sautéing the onion)

Directions

Step 1: Put together the Hen Meatballs

1. In a big mixing bowl, mix the bottom hen breast, breadcrumbs, egg, Parmesan cheese, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper. Combine till simply mixed. Keep away from overmixing to maintain the meatballs tender.
2. Kind the combination into small meatballs, about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. This could make roughly 18-20 meatballs.
3. Evenly grease the air fryer basket with oil, then add the meatballs. Prepare dinner within the air fryer at 375°F (190°C) for about 10 minutes, or till they’re browned on the skin and cooked by. Alternatively, if you happen to don’t have an air fryer, bake them at 400°F (200°C) for about 15-20 minutes, flipping midway by.

Step 2: Assemble the Dish within the Gradual Cooker

1. Set your sluggish cooker to the excessive setting.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a pan over medium warmth. As soon as sizzling, add the diced onion and sauté for about 5 minutes or till softened and translucent. Add the cooked onion to the sluggish cooker.
3. Layer the browned meatballs on the backside of the sluggish cooker, adopted by the sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed onion, gnocchi, a half of spinach leaves, and hen broth.
4. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan cheese (elective) excessive. Proceed cooking for an additional 30-45 minutes, till the gnocchi are tender and the flavors have melded collectively.

Step 4: End with Yogurt and Recent Spinach

1. As soon as the sluggish cooking time is full, flip off the sluggish cooker.
2. Stir within the Greek yogurt to provide the sauce a creamy texture. Add the remaining recent spinach, which is able to wilt from the residual warmth, giving the dish a vibrant pop of coloration.

Step 5: Serve and Take pleasure in

1. Ladle the Tuscan Hen Meatballs with Gnocchi into bowls, and sprinkle with further Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve heat and revel in.

Variations and Substitutions for Gradual Cooker Tuscan Hen Meatballs with Gnocchi

Make it yours with these changes:

• No Gnocchi on Hand? Use diced potatoes and even pasta. Whereas it adjustments the feel a bit, each work superbly in absorbing the sauce.
• Amp Up the Taste within the Meatballs: Including somewhat smoked turkey chorizo to the hen meatballs intensifies the flavour, giving them a scrumptious increase.
• Swap Out the Protein: Don’t hesitate to change the hen with floor turkey and even lean beef if you happen to desire. This will add selection and work simply as effectively with the dish’s Italian-inspired flavors.

Suggestions and Tips for Making Gradual Cooker Tuscan Hen Meatballs with Gnocchi

Need to ensure that your Gradual Cooker Tuscan Hen Meatballs with Gnocchi seems completely? Listed here are a number of sensible ideas to remember:

• Customise the Meatball Combination: In case your floor hen is particularly moist, take into account mixing within the seasonings, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan first. Solely add the egg if you happen to want extra moisture—this retains the meatballs from turning into overly tender.
• Save Some Spinach for Later: To maintain the spinach vibrant and recent, reserve a handful so as to add proper earlier than serving. This provides the dish a burst of coloration and a recent be aware to distinction the creamy sauce.
• Cautious with the Yogurt: Add the yogurt when you’ve turned off the sluggish cooker. This prevents it from curdling, retaining the sauce easy and creamy.
• Go for Oil-Free Solar-Dried Tomatoes: Solar-dried tomatoes in oil can improve the recipe’s calorie rely shortly. As a substitute, use dried tomatoes, or make your individual if in case you have a dehydrator!
• Prepare dinner Meatballs within the Air Fryer: Browning the meatballs in an air fryer earlier than including them to the sluggish cooker provides additional taste and texture. Plus, it reduces the quantity of oil wanted, retaining the meal lighter general.