Whole grain noodle lunch with chicken meatballs and green sauce

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 450 g of minced chicken
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons whole grain unseasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian or hot paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, from about 1 small sprig
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, about 5 sprigs
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. l. olive oil
• For servingLinguine pasta with kale pesto, recipe below

Linguine Pasta with Kale Pesto

• 450 g kale, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 pack (350 g) whole grain linguine pasta
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
• 0.5 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup olive oil

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, gently combine the ground chicken, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, onion powder, oregano, thyme, brown sugar, lemon zest, 2 generous pinches of salt, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.
2. Form the mixture into meatballs slightly smaller than golf balls; you should have 28-30 total. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the meatballs to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes until golden brown.
3. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes, without stirring. Continue cooking until the meatballs are browned on all sides but still firm to the touch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve with linguine pasta in kale pesto, if desired.
   
   

   Linguine Pasta with Kale Pesto

   
   Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat. Blanch the kale until bright green, about 1 minute. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water, reserving the boiling water for the pasta. Remove the kale from the ice water and pat dry with paper towels before transferring to a food processor.
4. Add linguine pasta to a pot of salted boiling water and cook according to package directions.
5. Pesto:
   
   Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a dry skillet over low heat until fragrant. Transfer to a food processor along with the Parmesan, olives, and garlic. Puree. With the processor running, gradually pour in the olive oil and process until it forms a paste. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
   Exit: 3 tbsp.
6. To serve, spoon enough pesto into a large serving bowl to cover the linguine. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the bowl. The remaining water will thin the sauce slightly. Stir to coat. Add more pesto if needed. Transfer the pasta to a serving platter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.