Orecchiette pasta with chicken meatballs

Ingredients:

• 450 g orecchiette pasta (ears)
• 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp. whole milk
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 450 g of minced chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1.5 cups hot lightly salted chicken broth
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 0.5 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan
• 220 g bocconcini mozzarella, cut in half
• 0.5 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, salt, and black pepper. Add the ground chicken and gently mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
3. Scoop the meat mixture 1 teaspoon at a time and use wet hands to form mini meatballs about 2 cm in size. You will get about 60 balls.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large (14-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook in batches, undisturbed, until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the meatballs and cook on the other side, about 2 minutes more. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the tomatoes are soft and the meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water.
5. Transfer the pasta to a large serving platter and top with Parmesan. Toss to lightly coat the pasta, adding more of the reserved pasta water if it looks dry. Add the sauced meatballs, mozzarella, and 1/2 cup basil. Gently toss to coat. Sprinkle with chopped basil.