January 19, 2026 | Posted in:

[Thanks! You’re now entered to win “Around Our Table” by Sara Forte!] A Recipe for Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Published: January 2026
Author: Sara Forte
Recipe origin: ‘Around Our Table: Wholesome Recipes to Feed Your Family and Friends’ by Sara Forte (published by Hardie Grant)

In her most personal cookbook yet, ‘Around Our Table,’ Sprouted Kitchen’s Sara Forte shares recipes designed for all of life’s moments, from big celebrations to the quiet times of need. These Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are a perfect example: a more structured take on her classic turkey meatballs from ‘Bowl + Spoon,’ crafted to be an ‘easy sell’ for picky kids and a nourishing gift for new moms.

3 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon fennel seed, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 large egg
1⁄3 cup / 55g panko
1⁄3 cup / 35g grated Parmesan
1⁄3 cup / 7g well-chopped flat-leaf parsley + more for garnish
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil + more for cooking
1 pound / 450g ground chicken, dark meat included

FOR THE POLENTA
1 cup / 200g polenta
Salt and pepper
2 cups / 475ml water
2 cups / 475ml milk
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 (24-ounce / 680g) jar of marinara
6 ounces / 170g mozzarella, shredded or torn
1⁄2 cup / 50g grated Parmesan + more for finishing

FOR THE CHARD
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
1 large bundle rainbow chard, chopped
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of lemon
Chopped parsley, for serving
Serves 4–6

In a large mixing bowl, combine the garlic, fennel seed, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, egg, panko, Parmesan, parsley, and oil. Stir to mix well. Add the ground chicken and fold everything in to combine. Let this mixture rest for 15 minutes or in the fridge for up to a day.
Start the polenta. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the polenta, salt, pepper, and water, stir and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat to low, add the milk and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 more minutes. We want it to be loose; it firms up as it cools, so add more water or milk for desired consistency. Stir in the butter and taste for seasoning. Cover and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 475°F / 245°C. Warm a thin layer of oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Form the chicken mixture into small balls and, once the oil is hot, sear the balls. About 3 minutes per side until the outsides are just golden (these can also be roasted for 15 minutes). Turn the heat to low, pour the marinara over the balls, and stir gently. Let the marinara warm up for a few minutes. Put a piece of the mozzarella on top of each ball, plus a sprinkle of Parmesan, and put the pan in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes until the cheese is just golden.
For the chard, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and let it cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon, and set aside off the heat.
Assemble your bowls. Make a pillow of polenta, add a few meatballs with sauce, and put some chard on the side. Finish it all with some fresh herbs and a sprinkle of Parm.

MAKE AHEAD
Do the searing or roasting step, cover them in the marinara, and keep covered in the fridge a day in advance. To finish, bring the dish to room temperature, add the cheese, and add 5 more minutes to the baking step. To freeze, cook them all the way through during that searing step, cool, cover them in sauce, then package and freeze them.

CHANGE IT UP
Dairy free: You can get away without using the cheese; just increase the panko to 1⁄2 cup / 65g and skip the cheese topping. Use a nondairy milk and butter in the polenta.

Gluten free: Almond meal or gluten-free breadcrumbs may be used as a substitute for the panko. I would suggest keeping the balls small.

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August 25, 2025 | Posted in:

Nonna Carmela’s Tiramisu – From ‘Mediterranea’

Published on: August 28th/2025
Author: Recipe by Nonna Carmela; from Mediterranea by Anastasia Miari (Quadrille, £28), photography © Marco ArgÜello
Recipe origin: Italy

Note from Anastasia: The dessert to beat all desserts, tiramisu needs little introduction. It has always been my favourite sweet ending to a meal, but when I moved to Sicily a few years ago to learn Italian and realised that tiramisù quite literally means ‘pick me up’, I fell in love with this dolce all over again.

Carmela’s tiramisù is light and creamy. It’s less saccharine than others I’ve tasted across Italy and strikes just the right balance between creamy, sweet and kicky (from the coffee). It’s also damn easy to whip up. Don’t think about adding alcohol to this one. It isn’t traditional tiramisù etiquette and Nonna Carmela would be very upset. She also advises you make it the day before to ensure a tidier slice. She served hers right after her Pasta alla Norma.

5 cups water
4 large eggs, separated
150 g (51/2 oz/scant 2/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) mascarpone, at room temperature
800 ml (27 fl oz/ 31/3 cups) brewed espresso (Carmela used 4 coffee pods), cooled
400 g (14 oz) sponge fingers (savoiardi/ ladyfingers; ideally thin ones)
2 tablespoons cocoa (unsweetened) powder

Using a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites in a large, clean bowl until soft peaks form. Be careful not to overmix them.

Put the egg yolks into a large bowl, add the sugar and whisk until pale and thickened.

Gradually add the mascarpone to the yolk and sugar mixture, whisking until combined. Add the egg whites and whisk again briefly until combined.

Now make the first layer of sponge fingers. Pour the coffee into a large Tupperware box or small baking dish. Place the dish you will use for your tiramisu next to the dish of coffee – Carmela used a 39 x 17 cm (15 x 7 inch) glass dish, but use any medium-sized deep dish you have. One at a time, dip half the sponge fingers into the dish of cooled coffee very quickly. Make sure this action is in and out in a flash – just as long as it takes to submerge the finger. They should not be soggy at all. Once you’ve submerged one finger, place it into the tiramisu dish immediately and then repeat the process until half the sponge fingers have been dipped and arranged.

Next, spread half the mascarpone mixture onto the sponger fingers. Now repeat the process with the sponge fingers to create another layer of soaked sponge fingers on top of the mascarpone layer. Finally, add the remaining mascarpone mixture and smooth out the top.

Place the dish in the refrigerator and chill overnight.

Before serving add a thick dusting of sifted cocoa.

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April 9, 2019 | Posted in:

White lasagna

Ingredient list

1 lb lasagna cooked
3 lbs ricotta + 1 container
4 eggs
parsley
grated Parmesan cheese
garlic powder
salt
milk if needed
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350. Beat ricotta very fine, mix eggs and seasonings. If too dry, add a little milk. Boil lasagna about ten minutes. Do not over cook lasagna. Add oil to the pot so lasagna noodles will not stick. Strain lasagna and run water over them to stop the cooking. Put sauce in bottom of large pan and place 3 strips of lasagna, layer of ricotta mix, Parmesan cheese, sauce; continue with layering until pasta is finished. Pour sauce and parmesan cheese over top layer. Cover pan with foil and cook in oven one hour. Let stand fifiteen minutes. You can add two boxes of drained chopped spinach to ricotta if you would like vegetable Lasagna.

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April 4, 2019 | Posted in:

Eggplant parmesan

casserole verticalIngredient list

1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 medium eggplant, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 beaten egg
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
homemade tomato sauce
1 (6-oz.) pkg. mozzarella cheese, sliced
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine flour and salt. Dip eggplant into beaten egg, then in flour mixture. In large skillet, brown eggplant in hot oil; drain well on paper towel. Place one layer of eggplant in 10x6x2-inch baking dish; cut slices to fit. Sprinkle with half the Parmesan cheese. Top with half tomato sauce. Repeat with eggplant, Parmesan cheese, sauce and mozzarella. Cook until heated through; 30-45 minutes.

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February 26, 2019 | Posted in:

Minestrone Soup

Ingredient list

2 1/2 cups cooked Borlotti or Great Northern beans
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, celery stalks, carrots, finely chopped
2 potatoes, 2 cups butternut squash, in 2cm cubes
2 cups cauliflower, cut into small pieces
3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced,
1 zucchini, chopped into 2cm cubes
1/2 cup barley, washed well
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, 1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt, pepper to taste
1-2 chicken stock cubes and boiling water as needed
Polish sausage, cut into 5cm pieces, plus a ham hock cut in half
250 grams pasta, spiral, penne or shell
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Instructions

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat, fry onions and celery until soft; add other vegetables. Fry for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add ham hock, garlic, bay leaf, Parmesan cheese crust and water (liquid from the beans can be used), enough to cover the vegetables. Gently simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add beans, barley, herbs, stock cubes and salt, simmer for about 1 hour. Use a blender or potato masher to mash half the vegetables and beans — this adds a thick velvety texture to the Minestrone. Add the Polish sausage and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.

Cook the pasta separately and add to the Minestrone. Remove the ham hock, take off the skin and fat and discard. Cut the tender meat into pieces and add to the Minestrone. Remove from heat and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

NOTE: If you don’t have a ham hock, add two or three slices of rindless bacon, cut into pieces and fry with the onions — this also adds a nice flavour.

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January 22, 2014 | Posted in:

Slow cooker beef shank pasta sauce

I added red wine and black olives to this stew-like pasta sauce to crank up the fullness of the flavor, but my kids loved it too!
Slow cooker tomato sauce

Ingredients

2 large beef or veal shanks
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup red wine
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
32 oz or 1 quart of canned crushed tomates (I used the home-made sauce I made this summer in this video!)
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions

Roughly chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Brown the onion and garlic, about 3-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the shanks and brown on both sides (about 3 minutes a side). Add red wine and cook 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and seasoning. Transfer to slow cooker. Cook on high heat for 6 hours. Remove the shanks and shred the meat. Return to sauce.
(I ended up refrigerating the sauce for a couple of days, and it only got more delicious!).

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October 15, 2013 | Posted in:

Fire roasted pepper and tomato salad

Here’s a lovely dish to make in the early fall or late summer, when those long thin red peppers are in season. They’re easier to barbecue than traditional rounded bell peppers!

roasted pepper_edited-1

Ingredients

6 marconi (the long thin mild bell peppers) peppers
8 roma tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
10 greek olives (optional)
For dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tblsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Roast pepper on the bbq, or in the oven, under the broiler, until skins are blackened. Remove from heat and immediately wrap in newspaper or place in a paper or plastic bag. Seal bag and put aside.
Cut tomatoes in half. Remove seeds (run your finger or a spoon inside the tomato to loosen the fleshy pulp and seeds- they will fall right out).
Put 1/4 cup of olive oil and salt in a plastic bag or bowl, add tomatoes, and toss/mix until coated.
Arrange the tomatoes on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and place in a low temperature oven (300 degree Farenheit) for about an hour and a half, turning half way through cooking time.
Peel peppers and remove seeds.
Pull peppers apart with your hands to make long sections of pepper (you can use a knife, but this is so much easier to do while you are seeing the peppers!) Place in bowl. Add the tomatoes, crushed garlic and olives if using. Sprinkle with salt. Add oil and vinegar (balsamic is great if you tend to like a slightly sweeter sauce.) Toss. Serve cold or room temperature.
This salad is best if you can leave it for an hour or two for the flavors to develop.

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October 1, 2011 | Posted in:

Veggie pizza

from karen a.’s book, Underwood, MN

Ingredients

2 pkg cresent rolls
16 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup mayonaise
1 1(1oz) hidden vally dressing mix
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
vetables cut up

Preparation instructions

spread rolls on a 17×11 inch pan and bake according to package directions. Cool. Mix cream cheese, mayonaise, dressing mix and seasonnings; spread over crust. Place cup of vegetables on top of pizza suggestions; cauliflower, broccoli carrots ,green onions or chives or ripe olives. cut vegetables very small cut pizza into squares and serve.

Submitted by: karen a

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