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This week I made Turkey Pesto Meatballs.

Even over a simple pasta, the meatballs taste great. I couldn’t get enough of them.

This recipe comes from the Weelicious Cookbook by Catherine McCord. I met Catherine at the BlogHer Food Conference earlier this year. She is really nice and is a great cook. This cookbook is great. Catherine has put so much effort into the book. The recipes look SO good. I want to make like a dozen more of them besides the Turkey- Pesto Meatballs! (by the way, the Turkey- Pesto Meatballs are awesome!) 🙂

The turkey/pesto mixture felt weird when I kneaded it. You can see my mixed reactions.

I wanted to make a few little itty bitty meatballs, but my mom said no because they wouldn’t cook evenly. All of the meatballs had to be near the same size.

This recipe may appear to be really disgusting because you knead the meatballs with your hands, but it pays off in the end with an out-of-this-world taste!

No pasta is complete without cheese. Whether it’s a small amount or a whole tub, Italian food needs cheese.

I ate this right before basketball practice, so I had a lot of fuel for running. I LOVE this recipe.

Turkey- Pesto Meatballs

Turkey Pesto Meatballs

Simple, healthy, AND delicious!
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 301 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • pounds ground turkey
  • ¼ cup pesto (I used store- bought
  • ¼ cup breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups marinara sauce (I used Classico Tomato- Basil)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray.
  • Place the turkey, pesto, breadcrumbs, cheese and salt in a large bowl and use clean hands to combine them thoroughly.
  • Pour the sauce into the pan.
  • Using about 1 tablespoon or so per meatball, roll the mixture into balls and set them on top of the marinara sauce, creating rows.
  • Cover the baking pan with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Mine took a little longer.
  • Serve over pasta or rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 38gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 1538mgPotassium: 807mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 932IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 114mgIron: 3mg
Keyword ground turkey, marinara sauce, meatballs, pesto, turkey
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This recipe comes from RecipeBoy.com

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119 Comments

  1. Sausage Pasta

    Grill 1 package of beer brats then slice into bite-sized peices
    Dice Veggies and Grill (zucchini, onion, yellow squash, red pepper, etc.) add spices (rosemary, garlic, oregano, etc.) and olive oil to taste. Mix all of the above with 1-2 packages of cooked spinach ravioli and tomato pasta sauce (garden vegetable classico). As recipe boy says, add some parmesan cheese. Yummy!!!

  2. My easy go to meal is chicken and gravy over waffles. I use my pressure cooker and the chicken tenders, 2 cans of creamy chicken soup and 2 cans of fat free chicken broth make a gravey that is low fat and low calorie in 10 minutes. I use frozen waffles and it is a savory waffle dish.

  3. I like to make batch of my spaghetti sauce in the fall. It’s delicious and what my kids always request when they come home.

  4. Easiest dinner I make is chicken tacos in the slow cooker — frozen chicken breasts, taco seasoning and Rotel tomatoes. That’s it! So easy and so good! Also makes a delicious taco salad topping!

  5. if i make an easy dinner its usually something having to do with pasta. This looks awesome-love meatballs and I love turkey, can’t wait to try it out !!

  6. Love your Vans tee shirt! Those meatballs look easy and very tasty, thanks for sharing. I hear ya on the squishy meat thing, I have to use food-grade disp. gloves to do things like this. Our go-to quick easy meal these days is a mini whole wheat Boboli pizza crust, with a dab of sauce, turkey pepperoni, cheese, and onions. Yummers!

  7. First off, love your pics of you being silly! Keep up the grand work. Your posts are getting better and better. That cookbook looks fabulous! One really easy dish I make that tastes wonderful, but is easy is Indian Chicken and Rice in the crockpot. Have a great week!

  8. My two girls love sausage, pesto and noodles so this would be a huge hit on our house. My husband likes comfort food. Meatloaf and mash potatoes! I like mexican but can never make it as good as the real thing!

  9. Great post. Recipe looks delish and hey VANS for Brooks shout out free ad you should be giving him some free shoes and or an ad on his blog dont you think?

  10. I love making chicken enchiladas and serving them over yellow rice. The chicken is pre-cooked but most of making the enchiladas is just mixing everything together. Its definitely quick and easy to make!

  11. Brooks is that a little sauce on the coner of your mouth…lol

    OK my go to quick meal, burgers on the grill, or anything on the grill…so easy!

    thank you for a chance to win the book…

  12. Love mashed potatoes with meatloaf or a nice steak!
    Can’t wait to try the meatballs. Will get my son involved with making them.

  13. My quick go to meal is breakfast burritos. I can change what’s in them for each person and everyone is happy.

  14. I usually will make soup, using leftover rotisserie chicken. Either chicken and noodle or chicken tortilla.

  15. Grilled chicken is always (when you have gas in your grill), LOL! Usually served with a side of brown rice & a veggie.

  16. This reminds me of the meatball subs that we enjoy eating in our household. Will definitely have to make these kinds of meatballs for our subs next time! We love to make soups in the fall/winter like Zuppa, Stuffed Green Pepper soup.

  17. I like to make chow mein casserole. Rice, tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce, ground beef, chow mein noodles and cashews. (What’s not to like about it. Best part is it’s simple and ready in a jiff.

  18. Whole wheat penne with olive oil and parmesean with a side of oven roasted veggies. Quick, easy, and delicious!

  19. I have a whole list of quick and easy meals to draw from. One thing that is always a hit with my family is breakfast for dinner. So I make my mock egg mcmuffins with healthy whole wheat English muffins, Egglands Best eggs, uncured Canadian bacon and light cheese.

  20. I like making hot dogs on the stove. like grilling them in a pan. tastes really good. and cooking the bun in a pan, too with some butter. mmmmmmmmmm

  21. Yum, these look delicious and super easy! One of our favorite quick meals to make is Giada’s Pasta Ponza. It’s ridiculously simple, but so full of flavor!!

  22. Cheesy chicken and rice. bite sized chunks of chicken serged in a cream if sauce, with lots of cheese, served over rice.

    No gooey hands required

  23. I love making quesadillas, I put out anything and everything so everyone can make their own. Usually I already have onions, peppers, broccoli cut up. Leftovers like chicken, turkey, sausage are put out as well as the shredded cheese we have. Everyone picks and chooses what they want, put it together and then we pop them in the oven. Very easy 😀

  24. Pizza on the grill is our favorite!!! I keep a batch of homemade roasted tomato sauce and homemade whole wheat pizza dough in the freezer at all times so I can make pizza on the grill quick and easy!

  25. That looks so good right now. I like to make chicken salad for dinner. I love cooking my aunt’s oyster sauce and soy sauce chicken then tossing it in some spring mix. It’s simple and good and I don’t even use dressing.

    It’s also healthy which is great.

  26. One of the things I like to make for an easy dinner is the Veggie Rice in my post today. Beef, chicken, pork, or seafood can be added to it for a full meal 🙂

  27. My super easy go-to pasta recipe!

    Cajun Alfredo Fettucini

    Melt butter. Use Pre-cooked or raw chicken breast.
    Slice, season and cook with salt&pepper,garlic powder&creole seasoning,
    cook through (if sliced mushrooms in hand add now).
    Add minced garlic, heavy cream, chopped green onions, Parmesan cheese.
    *Add bell peppers or spinach or whatever veggie you have if you want =)
    If needed, add more salt/pepper to taste.
    Cook (while you’re making the sauce) &drain whatever kind of pasta you prefer (I like fettuccini) then add to chicken and sauce when done and mix well to coat every bit with yummy goodness!

  28. Those turkey pesto meatballs look really good! Chicken meatballs sound yummy too! Ok I have to stop looking b/c now I’m getting hungry. Lol.

  29. Walmart has a frozen Cajun Turkey Breast that is very easy to pop into the oven. Add some rosemary/garlic carrots and red potatoes. Easy and yummy. Good luck to me! Thanks for hosting the giveaway.

  30. grilled egg and cheese sandwich – scramble egg with some veggies (optional), stuff it inside 2 wheat sandwich bread slices, top with cheese single and grill.

  31. My daughter would love these! I love making chili in the crockpot. It’s so easy and always good on a cool night.

  32. easy and healthy for the family & kids is ground turkey tossed with pasta, tomato sauce & peas!
    it’s the only way my son with will eat peas!
    super easy, fast and healthy

  33. For a quick dinner that can be as healthy or junky as you want: pizza. Buy a pre-made crust and top with whatever is handy. I like artichoke hearts, spinach, (drained!) diced tomatoes, basil and crumbled tofu (sadly we can’t eat cheese at my house). Marinara or pesto makes a good sauce if you like sauce on your pizza. Any pre-cooked meat (like leftover chicken) could be added as well. Bakes up in about 10 minutes, and even my toddler can help make it!

  34. When I need any easy dinner, I always do something with eggs! On nights when my husband is gone, my son and I have German pancakes – super fast prep time (just 6 eggs, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and a little salt in the blender), then cook for 30 minutes or so.

  35. I make a really easy chicken & dumplings by buying a rotisserie chicken, & using canned buttermilk biscuits for dumplings. All the comfort of a home-cooked meal w/o all the work!

  36. I like to make spaghetti pizza casserole. I actually double the recipe and freeze half for when I really have no time.

  37. Our “go to” dinner is usually some king of hash with potatoes, leftovers and whatever kind of veggies I have on hand!

  38. Our go to is quesadillas. Start with the tortilla and cheese, then everyone can add their own veggies / protein and we have a meal in under 10 minutes.

  39. For a quick snack I like to make cheese plates with new and different cheeses that I haven’t tried before. For a quick dinner I fry gnocchi in a bit of olive ok until crisp, top with a bit of sauce and parmesan cheese and fresh basil!

    I will have to try these meat balls, I have tons of basil in the garden that I need to make pesto with before autumn gets to cold!

    Callie

  40. Love this post. The recipe looks scrumptious and the photos of you made me laugh out loud. Thanks.

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