Roasted Red Pepper Orzo with Turkey Feta Meatballs

Start your meatballs

Chop your bread into small chunks. Mix in a large bowl with 1/2 cup milk and let soak for 5 minutes. Grate in 1 large shallot, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 cup pecorino. Add 1 egg, 1/4 cup crumbled feta, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well, then add meat and mix using two forks in a pulling motion - this helps ensure you don't overmix and condense the meatballs. Mix until just incorporated. Roll into ping pong size balls and place on a plate in the fridge for 15 minutes to overnight.

Cook your meatballs

Airfryer: place in air fyer at 400F for 8-10 minutes until browned and cooked through

Pan fry: place large frying pan over medium heat and heat 2 tbsp oil. In batches so you don't overcrowd the pan, cook balls until golden brown all over and cooked through (about 5-7 minutes)

Make your sauce

Blend your roasted red peppers until fairly smooth and set aside. Prep and measure all your sauce ingredients now as you'll need to move fast. Heat a medium sized pot over medium heat. Warm 2 tbsp olive oil. Drop in 1 tbsp tomato paste, mix and cook until a deep red but not sticking to then pan too much, 3-5 minutes. Add in 4 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp chili flakes, 1 tsp smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add blended red peppers, mix, and bring to a simmer. Add 1 cup orzo and mix well. Cook for 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and cook for 10 minutes or until orzo is al dente, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick to the pan.

Once cooked, remove from heat and mix in 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup grated pecorino. Serve with meatballs, fresh basil and more grated pecorino.