Creamy garlic pasta with tasty chicken meatballs is a delicious and cozy dinner. The meatballs are easy to make, egg free, and very flavorful. This is an easy and comforting meal that your family will love!
Chilly weather puts me in the mood for comfort food. Pasta, potatoes, stews, and soups are all very cozy and comforting on cold days.
The other night, I decided to mix things up a little bit and make some creamy garlic pasta with chicken meatballs. This was a dish that my family loved! My oldest son said it reminded him of something he would order in a restaurant.
When we first eliminated dairy from our diet, I was sure that we would never have a good, creamy pasta sauce ever again.
That hasn’t been the case at all! From gluten free vegan macaroni and cheese to creamy sun dried tomato pasta, we have had plenty of opportunities to enjoy rich and satisfying pasta dishes.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – Ground chicken can be found in most grocery stores. You can get ground chicken breasts or ground chicken thighs. I used ground chicken breasts this time, but either option would be okay. The chicken thighs will not be quite as lean as the chicken breasts.
- Potato – I used potato in this recipe to bind the meatballs together, and it worked out really well. These held their shape nicely during frying and then baking.
- Gluten Free Pasta – Feel free to use the brand and type of gluten free pasta that you are comfortable with. We like pasta by Jovial, Tinkyada, and Ancient Harvest.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used unsweetened refrigerated coconut milk beverage to make this sauce, because it is very neutral tasting. If coconut milk won’t work for you, you can use a different non-dairy milk.
Dairy Free Cream Sauce
It’s easy to make a roux with vegan buttery spread, dairy free milk, and gluten free flour. You simply melt the vegan buttery spread in the pan, then add the flour, and stir while it cooks for a few minutes (you want to remove the raw flour taste). Then you add the dairy free milk of your choice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.
I added some Daiya mozzarella shreds to make this a cheese sauce. You can do that if you like, or use any non-dairy cheese that works for you.
You could also leave the cheese out and just season it a bit more with garlic, salt, and pepper.
Substitutions
- You can use any dairy free milk that works for your needs. Oat milk, rice milk, or any other neutral tasting milk should work just fine in this recipe.
- If you aren’t dairy free, go ahead and use regular dairy milk and shredded cheese in equal amounts. You can also use any brand of dairy free cheese that works for your dietary needs.
- You can use ground turkey, ground beef, or even ground pork in place of chicken if you like. Any ground meat will work well to make these gluten free meatballs. If you are vegan, you can try my recipe for vegan meatballs. I think they would go very well with this creamy pasta.
More Dairy Free Dinner Recipes
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Recipe
Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Garlic Pasta (Gluten Free, Dairy Free).
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken breasts
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- ¾ cups cooked potatoes I used two Yukon Gold potatoes that had been baked, and I mashed them with a fork.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
For the pasta:
- 8 ounces gluten free penne
- ¼ cup vegan buttery spread
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup gluten free flour blend
- 3 cups dairy free milk I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¾ cup Daiya mozzarella shreds
Instructions
Make the chicken meatballs:
- Place the ground chicken, shallots, cilantro, cooked potatoes, and spices in a large bowl and use your hands to mix it all together. Pour the olive oil in a large skillet. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat the oil in the skillet. Form the meat mixture into meatballs and place them in the skillet when the olive oil starts to sizzle. Cook over medium heat, turning with a spatula so that they are browned on all sides.
- Once the meatballs are browned, transfer them to a ceramic casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees F until they are cooked through – about 15-20 minutes. The meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- While the meatballs are in the oven, cook the gluten free pasta according to the directions on the package, then drain.
Make the creamy garlic sauce:
- In a medium sized pot, melt the vegan buttery spread. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until it becomes fragrant.
- Add the gluten free flour, and stir well. Cook for a few minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
- Slowly add the dairy free milk and continue to stir until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the dairy free mozzarella shreds and salt and pepper, and stir until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the sauce.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir. Place some creamy pasta on each plate, and top with the cooked meatballs.
Sarah
I just found your website yesterday and SO happy I did. We have the same food allergies in my home and these recipes are seriously amazing. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I know it is a lot of hard work. I’m trying the slow cooker cheesy broccoli chicken rice tomorrow.
Kathy
These sounds so good. I’m allergic to garlic and onion…… I know it’s soooo hard :( ….. so could you recommend a way I could make this tasty without the garlic.? I don’t like cilantro either. I just need a good pasta dish and these meatballs sound so good. Thanks Kelly.
Kelly Roenicke
You can definitely use fresh herbs if you like! Try chives, or basil, or even parsley. I think these will still be good without the garlic and onion. Maybe even some extra lemon would be nice.
Jason
This sounds like a great recipe. Simple but delicious!
V
Thanks alot Kelly for sharing this amazing recipe. ..I made only the chicken meat balls as a snack. Delicious.
Katie
Delicious recipe!