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!
Easy Pesto 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.
How to Make Them
Mix: Combine the eggs, pesto, and breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground beef and mix until combined.
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 375°F or until they are cooked through.
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.
Juicy, tender, and flavorful meatballs with just four ingredients! I think you’re going to love this pesto meatball recipe.
Happy easy cooking,
More Meatball Recipes
- Slow Cooker Meatballs (No Browning!)
- Sweet and Spicy Meatballs
- Ricotta Meatballs
- Chicken Spinach Meatballs
- Easy Turkey Meatballs
- More Meatball Recipes
📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe, along with your recipe star rating.
PrintPesto Meatballs
These baked pesto meatballs are so easy – you only need 4 ingredients!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 meatballs 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Mix the breadcrumbs, eggs, and pesto in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground beef and mix until just combined.
- Scoop two tablespoons of the meat mixture to form each meatball. Place them in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake the meatballs for 25 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165°F.
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
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.