This is the kind of dinner that makes a Tuesday night feel like something worth sitting down for. Chicken meatballs seasoned with CTH, Parmesan, and Italian breadcrumbs seared until golden in a deep skillet, a bold puttanesca sauce built in the same pan with onion and garlic, dry cavatelli poured straight into the sauce, and the meatballs nestled back in to finish cooking while the pasta absorbs everything around it. One pan, 45 minutes, and a dinner that tastes like it came from a really good Italian restaurant.

A white bowl of cavatelli pasta with tomato sauce and chicken meatballs sits on a woven placemat, next to a jar labeled italians do it better. Decorative autumn-themed wooden blocks are in the background.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: One-Pot Puttanesca Chicken Meatballs and Cavatelli
Main Ingredients: The Chicken Meatballs, ground chicken, egg, Italian breadcrumbs, freshly grated Parmesan, cottage cheese, CTH seasoning, garlic powder
Why You'll Love It: This one-pot puttanesca chicken meatball and cavatelli dinner browns chicken meatballs then cooks dry cavatelli directly in a bold puttanesca sauce for an easy deeply flavored Italian-inspired dinner ready in 45 minutes.

The Olive You Puttanesca from Italians Do It Better is the sauce that makes this specifically great rather than just another chicken meatball pasta. Briny, bold, and deeply flavored right out of the jar in a way that lets you skip a long simmer without compromising anything.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

One pan from browning the meatballs to finishing the pasta. The puttanesca sauce, the broth, and the cavatelli all cook together so the pasta absorbs every bit of that bold briny flavor as it goes.
The cottage cheese in the meatball mixture is the quiet detail that keeps ground chicken meatballs specifically moist and tender rather than dry and dense. It disappears completely into the mixture and nobody knows it’s there.
Dry cavatelli cooked directly in the sauce rather than boiled separately absorbs the puttanesca flavor all the way through every piece rather than just being coated on the outside.
This is a complete dinner in one pan with protein, pasta, and a deeply flavored sauce that makes everyone at the table happy.

Ingredients Needed to Make Puttanesca Chicken Meatballs

The Chicken Meatballs

Ground chicken is the base. One egg and Italian breadcrumbs bind the mixture together. Freshly grated Parmesan adds a salty, nutty depth throughout every meatball. Cottage cheese is the moisture secret that keeps ground chicken meatballs tender and juicy. CTH seasoning adds a herby, slightly Cajun complexity. Garlic powder and Italian seasoning finish the seasoning.

The Puttanesca Cavatelli

Diced yellow onion and minced garlic build the aromatic base in the meatball drippings. Italians Do It Better Olive You Puttanesca sauce is the deeply flavored, briny, bold base that defines the entire dish. Chicken broth loosens the sauce enough for the cavatelli to absorb and cook through. Dry cavatelli goes in uncooked and absorbs the puttanesca and broth as it cooks. Italian seasoning and cracked black pepper season throughout. Parmesan stirred in at the end adds the finishing depth. Spinach wilted in off the heat and fresh basil or parsley garnished over the top are optional but excellent.

How to Make One-Pot Puttanesca Chicken Meatballs and Cavatelli

1

Mix all the meatball ingredients until just combined. Form into small even meatballs. Sear in olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side until golden. Remove and set aside.

2

Sauté the onion in the same skillet for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds. Pour in the puttanesca sauce and chicken broth. Add the Italian seasoning and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

3

Pour the dry cavatelli directly into the sauce and stir. Nestle the meatballs back in. Cover and reduce to medium-low. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes stirring occasionally and adding broth as needed until the cavatelli is al dente and the meatballs reach 165°F.

4

Turn off the heat. Stir in the spinach if using and the Parmesan. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve immediately.

How to Serve One-Pot Puttanesca Chicken Meatballs and Cavatelli

Serve immediately straight from the skillet while the sauce is still saucy and the meatballs are hot. Extra Parmesan grated generously over each bowl and a drizzle of good olive oil over the top finishes every plate. Warm crusty bread alongside for scooping up any extra puttanesca sauce from the bottom of the bowl is the right call.

One-Pot Puttanesca Chicken Meatballs and Cavatelli

This one-pot puttanesca chicken meatball and cavatelli dinner browns chicken meatballs then cooks dry cavatelli directly in a bold puttanesca sauce for an easy deeply flavored Italian-inspired dinner ready in 45 minutes.

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Ingredients

The Chicken Meatballs

1 lb ground chicken
1 large egg
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tbsp cottage cheese
1 tbsp CTH seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Olive oil for pan frying

The Puttanesca Cavatelli

1/2 yellow onion diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 jar 24 oz Italians Do It Better Olive You Puttanesca sauce
3 cups chicken broth plus more as needed
12 oz dry cavatelli
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
Cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Handful of fresh spinach optional
Fresh basil or parsley optional for garnish

Instructions

Combine the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, cottage cheese, CTH, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix until just combined. Form into small even meatballs.
Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet or braiser over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs for about 2 minutes per side. They don’t need to be cooked through yet. Remove and set aside.
In the same skillet sauté the diced onion for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Pour in the entire jar of puttanesca sauce and the 3 cups of chicken broth. Add the Italian seasoning and cracked black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Pour the dry cavatelli directly into the sauce and stir well. Nestle the browned meatballs back into the skillet. Cover and reduce to medium-low.
Cook for 15 to 18 minutes stirring the pasta around the meatballs every few minutes to prevent sticking. If the sauce thickens before the pasta is tender add broth 1/4 cup at a time. The meatballs need to reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Once the cavatelli is al dente turn off the heat. Stir in the spinach if using and the Parmesan. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve immediately.

Notes

The tablespoon of cottage cheese in the meatball mixture is the detail that keeps ground chicken meatballs moist and tender rather than dense and dry. Ground chicken has very little fat and needs the extra moisture. It’s completely undetectable in the finished meatball.
Brown the meatballs in batches without crowding the pan. Crowding drops the temperature and produces steamed grey meatballs rather than golden browned ones. A good sear on each meatball adds significant flavor to the finished dish.
Keep extra broth nearby during the pasta cook. Different brands of dried cavatelli absorb at different rates and some need more liquid than others to cook through properly. Add it gradually rather than all at once.
Stir the pasta around the meatballs every few minutes rather than constantly. Frequent stirring keeps the cavatelli from sticking to the bottom without breaking up the meatballs that are nestled in the sauce.