If you put lemon on everything like me, you’re going to love this one. I’ve been squeezing lemon onto literally every meal lately and finally just leaned all the way in with this recipe. Lemon ricotta meatballs over a creamy orzo with spinach and parm… 44g of protein, ready in about 30 minutes, and it reheats really well through the week.

The ricotta is what keeps the meatballs from going dry (which I find happens a lot with ground chicken) and the lemon pepper seasoning does pretty much all the work flavor-wise. Plus, who doesn’t love a meatball recipe that’s just a few ingredients.

If you’re wondering how this recipe has so much protein, I used Banza orzo and chicken bone broth to pack it in, and the bone broth adds so much more flavor. A little extra ricotta, parm, and spinach goes in at the end and that’s pretty much it. Easy, high protein, and actually exciting to open at noon Wednesday at noon when you’re busy at work!

Let’s get into the recipe…

High-Protein Lemon Ricotta Meatball & Orzo Meal Prep

Serves: 4 | Protein: 44g

Ingredients For The Meatballs:

• 1lb ground chicken
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup parsley, diced
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For The Orzo:

• 1 box Banza Orzo
• 2 cups chicken bone broth
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cups spinach

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the meatball ingredients (except for the olive oil) until combined.
2. Scoop about 1-2 tbsp of the mixture at a time and roll into meatballs. You should get about 12-15 meatballs total.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and cook about 2 minutes per side, until browned. Turn the heat to low, cover, and let cook for about 8 more minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the orzo and bone broth to the same pan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 8 minutes, until the liquid is mostly absorbed (add a splash more water if needed).
5. Stir in the ricotta, parmesan, and spinach until everything is creamy and the spinach is wilted.
6. Evenly divide the orzo between four meal prep containers and top with the meatballs. Let cool, cover, and store in the fridge for an easy reheat-and-eat meal all week.

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Looking for more meal prep recipes? Try these next…

• Chipotle Chicken Bowls
• Chicken Shawarma Bowls
• Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta