This Easy 3-Ingredient Pesto Meatball Recipe will be your new dinner favourite. Pair them with pasta or toss them in a salad for a quick protein addition. These meatballs are a great meal prep option on the weekend to add to a quick weeknight meal, or roll and freeze if you’re cooking for a smaller family.
I’ve been on the hunt for a simple meatball recipe. I love making meatballs ahead on the weekend for a quick dinner during the week or making meatballs on the weekend to add to salads for workweek lunches.
This Easy 3-Ingredient Pesto Meatball recipe uses only 3 ingredients but is loaded with flavour. Using limited ingredients helps to limit prep time, making these a quick protein addition to your meal. There is no chopping or dicing. Just simply measure out your two ingredients and mix with chicken – that’s it!
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Pesto Meatballs
To make these meatballs, you’ll need 450g ground chicken, ¼ cup pre-made pesto, and 1/3 cup panko crumbs. I love using pesto in recipes as a way to add a ton of flavour without a large number of steps or ingredients.
Simply combine the 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl until the pesto and panko crumbs are mixed in well. Using a 1 tbsp measure, scoop out meat mixture and roll tightly into meatballs. This is the longest part of the process. This mixture will make ~24 meatballs.
To cook the meatballs, heat ~2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add meatballs to the pan and cook until browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside. Stir and flip the meatballs throughout. They will cook in about 8 minutes.
Once cooked, the meatballs can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and paired with your favourite pasta recipe for a delicious protein addition!
Ingredient Swaps:
Pesto: if you’ve got homemade pesto on hand, you can absolutely use it here! I haven’t tried any other pesto varieties with this recipe, but I’m sure other herb-based pestos would work well too.
Panko: for a higher fibre option, I love using oat bran as a bread crumb substitute. Start with ¼ cup oat bran and add up to 1/3 cup based on the consistency of your meatball mixture. I’ve also processed whole oats into a fine crumb and used them as a bread crumb substitute!
Ground chicken: you can swap the ground chicken for turkey in this recipe.
Easy 3-Ingredient Pesto Meatball Recipe ?
Easy 3-Ingredient Pesto Meatball Recipe
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 24 meatballs 1x
Description
This Easy 3-Ingredient Pesto Meatball Recipe will be your new dinner favourite. Pair them with pasta or toss them in a salad for a quick protein addition. These meatballs are great for meal prep on the weekend to add to a quick weeknight meal, or roll and freeze if you’re cooking for a smaller family.
Ingredients
450g ground chicken
1/3 cup panko crumbs or oat bran
¼ cup jarred pesto
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, panko and pesto. Salt, to taste. Mix until fully combined.
- Roll meat mixture into balls using 1 tbsp mixture per meatball. This recipe will make ~24 meatballs.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs to the pan and cook until browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside, stirring and flipping the meatballs throughout. They will cook in about 6-8 minutes, depending on the size.
- Remove from the pan and serve with your favourite pasta recipe.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 8
- Category: protein
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
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I am a registered dietitian and I ? food! I am passionate about making it easier for busy people to eat well by sharing quick and healthy recipes. Healthy cooking at home can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. I love helping people uncomplicate weeknight dinners and reduce stress around meal time, so I’m so glad you’re here!
