Baked Chicken Pesto Meatballs – Eat Yourself Skinny

Mouthwatering Baked Chicken Pesto Meatballs made with tender floor rooster, garlicky basil pesto, recent veggies and parmesan cheese. Juicy, flavorful and make the right weeknight meal served over pasta or with rice!

If you might be on the lookout for the right weeknight dinner, look no additional. These juicy rooster pesto meatballs are simple, healthful and loaded with hidden veggies in order that they make an important meal for teenagers too! These meatballs are baked within the oven, not fried, and simply come collectively in below half-hour. Serve over pasta, tucked in a sub or add to a salad for a light-weight, protein-packed meal. I promise you’ll come again to this recipe repeatedly!

Why You’ll Love These

• Flavor-packed – the home made basil pesto and parmesan add an herby, tacky punch to each chunk.
• Healthy – we’re utilizing lean floor rooster which stays juicy because of the pesto together with the addition of shredded carrots and zucchini! These meatballs are additionally baked, not fried.
• Versatile – will be served with pasta, zoodles, rice or all on their very own along with your favourite dipping sauce.
• Meal prep – these scrumptious rooster meatballs are freezer-pleasant so you may simply make them forward of time for fast meals any time.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• floor rooster – I used floor rooster for these meatballs as a result of I personally favor the flavour of rooster with these substances, however any floor meat will work. You might additionally make these utilizing floor turkey, lean floor beef, floor pork or floor lamb.
• veggies – we’re sneaking in each grated zucchini and grated carrots into these meatballs which not solely offers a lift of nutrition, however provides further moisture. You might additionally add in some chopped inexperienced onions for much more taste.
• basil pesto – provides a lot taste to those meatballs! I like to recommend utilizing my home made pesto recipe, however you possibly can additionally use retailer-purchased pesto from the shop.
• egg – helps to bind the entire substances collectively.
• bread crumbs – I used entire wheat Panko breadcrumbs to assist the meatballs to maintain their spherical form, however be at liberty use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs and even almond flour, if wanted.
• parmesan cheese – nutty parmesan cheese offers these meatballs much more taste! Feel free to make use of dairy-free parmesan cheese, if wanted.
• seasonings – a mixture of garlic powder (or use recent garlic), purple pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper.

How to Make Chicken Pesto Meatballs

1. Prepare the veggies. Grate the zucchini and carrots utilizing a box grater. Gently pat the zucchini dry with a paper towel to absorb among the liquid.
2. Mix collectively the substances. In a big bowl, mix floor rooster, egg, grated carrots and zucchini, basil pesto, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Stir the meatball substances collectively utilizing a spatula or your arms till all mixed.
3. Make the meatballs. Using a small to medium cookie scoop (I used this 1.2 tablespoon size scoop), make the balls 2-inches in diameter (golf ball measurement) and place on a ready baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or sprayed with non-stick spray) in a single layer. You ought to get about 22 meatballs.
4. Bake. Pop the sheet pan within the oven at 375 levels F and bake for about 12 to 14 minutes, till the tops are golden brown and cooked by way of. Meatballs ought to have an inside temp of 165 levels F when inserting a meat thermometer.
5. Serve. Serve the pesto meatballs instantly as is or toss them with some leftover pesto or easy tomato sauce with pasta noodles.

Can I Make these Meatballs in a Skillet?

Yes in fact! I discover that baking meatballs is simply simpler with much less cooking required, however pan frying these meatballs would style superb! All you’ll want is somewhat olive oil to coat the pan or a large skillet then add the meatballs. Cook the meatballs on medium warmth to medium-high warmth, and switch them constantly in order that they get browned on all sides. Meatballs must be cooked by way of in about 12 minutes.

Can I Make these Meatballs within the Air Fryer?

Absolutely and the air fryer is one other manner I like to make these! To air fry these meatballs, cook dinner at 400 levels for about 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the air fryer basket midway by way of to verify they evenly cook dinner. Just be certain that the inner temperature of the meatballs is 165 levels F.

How to Serve Chicken Pesto Meatballs

Prepping and Storage

To Make Ahead: These flavorful meatballs can simply be prepped forward of time and saved within the fridge tightly coated for 2 to three days earlier than baking. When you might be able to bake, merely pop them within the oven and observe recipe directions.

To Store: These meatballs will be saved in a sealed, hermetic container within the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Leftovers style even higher the subsequent day making them nice for meal prep! To reheat, both pop them within the oven at 350 till heated by way of or you may heat them up within the microwave or air fryer.

To Freeze: These meatballs are additionally freezer-pleasant! To freeze, allow them to cool fully and retailer in a sealed Ziplock freezer bag for as much as 3 months. Let them thaw fully earlier than re-heating.

Favorite Meatball Recipes

More Recipes Using Pesto

Hope you all get pleasure from these Baked Pesto Chicken Meatballs. The pesto taste is superb! If you like this as a lot as we do, please go away a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ score under and don’t neglect to tag me on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny!