Herb & Pesto Meatballs

10 May Herb & Pesto Meatballs

Posted at 11:24h in Recipes by ElleO 1 Comment

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know I love to make meatballs. They are the simple and easy answer to paleo lunches, and quick dinners. I like to make several batches of them on Sundays, letting the oven do the heavy lifting of baking and browning the meatballs. During the week, I pack them with roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli or other cooked veggies for super filling lunches.

These pesto meatballs are herby and full of fresh flavour. Bright green, these meatballs are best in the spring time when the herbs are fresh and new.

Pesto Meatballs

Nutrition per portion

Ingredients

For the Meatballs
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 large eggs
1 + 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 + 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
For the Pesto
1 bunch fresh basil
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup roasted pepitas
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated, for serving

Method

Heat the oven to 375F and arrange two racks in the middle-ish.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground pork, ground chicken, tapioca flour, eggs, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil. Form the meatballs into golf ball sized rounds and place on a greased baking sheet, keeping a 1.5 inch space between them.
Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the pesto by blitzing together the fresh basil, parsley, garlic cloves, pepitas, and lemon juice. Once everything is mixed up, slowly start to drizzle in the olive oil. Mix in the 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Take half of the pesto and toss with the cooked meatballs. Serve with more pesto and lots of Parmesan cheese. I love this with riced cauliflower, but any roasted veggie works well!