Turkey Meatballs and Greens With Orecchiette Pasta

Ingredients

12–18 turkey meatballs (click here for our favourite recipe or you can use store bought)
500 gr Orechiette pasta
1 head or 2 cups Swiss chard, roughly chopped
6-8 sage leaves
12 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

TIP: You can make the meatballs, pasta and garlic oil up to 5 days ahead of time to have all the ingredients ready for a quick weeknight meal. Feel free to substitute with any pasta or greens you may have on hand.

Directions

Combine garlic, ½ cup olive oil and sage in a small saucepan over very low heat. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for 15-20 minutes until garlic is softened and golden brown. Mixture can be kept up to 5 days in the fridge.
Cook pasta according to package directions. When draining, set aside ¾ cup of pasta water to have on hand when assembling the final dish. Pasta can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium to high heat.
Add Swiss chard and sauté for 2-3 minutes until wilted and lightly browned.
Add meatballs.
Add pasta and toss until heated through and lightly browned in spots, 3-4 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of pasta water, and more as needed, to keep the pasta moist and creamy and avoid drying out.
Remove from heat. Finish with garlic sage oil including whole garlic and sage leaves and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately with additional garlic sage oil and Parmesan cheese to taste on the side.