Turkey Pesto Meatballs – a delicious and easy pesto meatball recipe that is perfect with spaghetti! Easily baked or cooked on stove-top!
Best Ever Turkey Pesto Meatballs
Raise your hand if you are a HUGE fresh basil pesto fan (me!) – which is why I am so excited to share this delicious recipe with you! Simple to make (so perfect for a weeknight dinner) and packed with flavor. Plus I love how you can serve it so many different ways – cannot wait for you to try this one!
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy: toss everything in a bowl and mix. Form your meatball and pop them in the oven – done!
- Dairy-Free Friendly: we have a dairy-free pesto recipe and you can use nutritional yeast instead of grated parmesan cheese!
- Versatile: Serve alone, with more pesto or with spaghetti!
Pesto Meatball Ingredients
- ground turkey, chicken or beef: you can really use any protein with these – I used turkey!
- egg: this helps bind everything together.
- Super Fine Almond Flour: this also helps bind the meatballs together so they hold their form.
- kosher salt + ground black pepper: always a necessity!
- basil pesto (dairy-free pesto, fresh basil pesto or store-bought): use whatever works best for you!
- grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast: use the nutritional yeast if you want to keep it dairy-free.
- fresh lemon zest: added for a bit of acidity.
How to Make Turkey Pesto Meatballs
Add meatball ingredients into a medium-sized bowl.
We love using this homemade dairy-free pesto, but feel free to use your favorite store-bought version as well.
Combine the meatball mixture.
Take about 1 tablespoon or so and form into meatballs.
Line up on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake until 18-22 minutes or until fully cooked.
Serve with rice and more pesto!
Or with spaghetti (this homemade roasted marinara sauce is AMAZING!).
Other Recipes You Might Like
BBQ Meatballs
Greek Chicken Meatballs
Easy Lamb Meatballs
Best Ever Chicken Meatballs
Made this recipe and loved it?!
We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review โ it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey, sub ground chicken or ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup super fine almond flour, sub breadcrumbs or panko (reg. or gluten free)
- 1/4 cup basil pesto, dairy-free pesto, fresh basil pesto or store-bought
- 1 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, sub nutritional yeast or plant based parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.ย
- Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.ย
- Use a tablespoon-sized cookie dough scoop to create meatballs; roll out between your hands.ย
- Place meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet.ย
- Bake (middle rack) for 18-22 minutes or until fully cooked.ย
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.ย
- We love serving with a traditional spaghetti and meatballs (feel free to use regular or gluten-free noodles).ย
Notes
- Stove Top: alternatively you can cook these on the stove top in a cast iron skillet. Bring skillet to medium-high heat and coat with olive oil. Sear meatballs on all sides and then reduce heat a bit and continue cooking/turning meatballs until fully cooked (about 15-25 minutes).ย
- Serving: you can serve these with regular spaghetti and marinara, spaghetti squash and marinara, gluten-free pasta and marinara or you can just serve them in additional pesto. Whatever works best for you.ย
- Storage: store extra meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.ย
Kristen Maggitti says
These were easy and delicious. We used a storebought pesto and it worked great. My kids all loved it (I have one who always wants to be the helper on meatball night). Great pest flavor throughout!