Pesto Turkey Meatballs
By now you've learned that I'm a sucker for easy, flexible and tasty recipes. Here's one that can be adapted to your liking. Though the protein used in this recipe was ground turkey, you can also opt out for chicken which can be less expensive and more readily available in grocery stores or your local meat market. I often shape the meat into juicy meatballs and eat them over a bed of pasta or on a salad. But here's a suggestion: given the warm summer temperatures in Winnipeg, it's also nice to form the mixture into a patty and make a sophisticated "grown up" turkey burger! If you're going this route, choose toppings like red onion, spinach and roma tomatoes.
Oh, and I'm proud to say that this recipe is freezer friendly. Hells yeah! #mealprepmonday anyone?
When it comes to sourcing pesto, most brands are quite comparable. When I have extra time on my hands, I'll even whip some pesto up myself (but honestly, that rarely happens). If you're concerned you might not use that jar up right away and it will go waste just hold up! Pesto is extremely versatile! You can use it instead of pizza sauce, add it into marinades and use it as the base of a dressing for this Confetti Quinoa Salad.
Okay, okay...on to important things. The recipe, below.
Pesto Turkey Meatballs
PREP TIME: 5 mins
COOK TIME: 20 mins
TOTAL TIME: 25 mins
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 lb Ground turkey or chicken
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pesto
1 large egg
1/2 bread crumbs, or more depending on moistness of meat (for gluten free, use alternative)
1/4 cup feta cheese
Pinch of ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. It's okay for the mixture to be a bit "gooey"--poultry tends to be very moist.
Shape into 2" balls (if making patties, you'll make about 5 or so).
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until ready.
