Pesto Meatballs (4 Ingredients)

Pesto Meatballs are tender, juicy, and loaded with fresh basil and garlic. This is a baked meatball recipe and you only need 4 ingredients to make it!

a plate of meatballs.

Easy pesto meatballs with just four ingredients! They’re baked, not fried! And if that’s not enough excitement for you, get this: You can make them ahead for weekly meal prep or freeze them so your future self has an easy meal on hand. Who doesn’t love that?

Ingredients

  • Pesto
  • Ground beef
  • Large eggs
  • Italian breadcrumbs

Pesto: Using pesto to make meatballs is one of my favorite shortcuts. Any pesto will work, but I love classic basil pesto. It has all the things (Parmesan cheese, garlic, herbs, olive oil), so you don’t have to do nearly as much prep work to make the meatballs. If I have leftover homemade pesto on hand, I use it, but if I don’t, store-bought pesto is great, too. I love Rao’s brand.

Ground meat: Feel free to swap the beef for ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken.

Breadcrumbs: If you don’t have seasoned breadcrumbs on hand, use plain breadcrumbs and add a teaspoon or two of dried Italian seasoning.

ingredients for pesto meatballs.

How to Make Them

Mix: Combine the eggs, pesto, and breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground beef and mix until combined.

the meatball mixture in a bowl with a scoop next to it.

Roll: Scoop two tablespoons of the meat mixture to form each meatball. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the pesto meatballs for about 30 minutes at 375ยฐF or until they are cooked through.

meatballs on a sheet pan ready to go in the oven.

Recipe Tips

Serving: Serve them with your favorite marinara sauce and pasta, over rice with veggies, slice and toss them in a salad, or use them to make sandwiches.

If you’re making them ahead, let them cool for a bit and then store them in an airtight container. They will keep well in the refrigerator for three to four days.

Or, you can freeze them for up to three months. Once cooled off, store them in a freezer bag or container and pop them in the freezer.

baked meatballs on a sheet pan.

Juicy, tender, and flavorful meatballs with just four ingredients! I think you’re going to love this pesto meatball recipe.

Happy easy cooking,

April
pesto meatballs piled on a plate.

More Meatball Recipes

๐Ÿ“ฃ Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe, along with your recipe star rating.

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Pesto Meatballs

baked meatballs on a sheet pan.

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These baked pesto meatballs are so easy – you only need 4 ingredients!ย 

  • Author: April Anderson
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 16 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Italian-American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup pesto
  • 1 pound 90% lean ground beef

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375ยฐF. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. Mix the breadcrumbs, eggs, and pesto in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground beef and mix until just combined.
  3. Scoop two tablespoons of the meat mixture to form each meatball. Place them in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan.
  4. Bake the meatballs for 25 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165ยฐF.

Notes

Ground meat: You can also make this recipe with ground turkey, pork, or chicken.

Pesto: If I don’t have homemade pesto on hand, I like to use Rao’s basil pesto. You can use other types of pesto to change up the flavor, too.

Mixing tip: When you mix in the ground beef, mix gently and just until combined. When you form the meatballs, do it with a light hand so they are nice and tender after they’re baked.

Storage: The meatballs will keep in the fridge for three to four days. Or you can freeze them for three months.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 meatball
  • Calories: 104
  • Sugar: 0.3g
  • Sodium: 96.3mg
  • Fat: 5.8g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.9g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 3.2g
  • Trans Fat: 0.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 2.7g
  • Fiber: 0.2g
  • Protein: 9.5g
  • Cholesterol: 48.5mg

Do you love this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a comment and your recipe star rating!

The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.

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