Description
These Baked Chicken Pesto Meatballs are a healthy and flavorful twist on classic meatballs, featuring ground chicken mixed with fresh grated zucchini, carrot, and basil pesto. Baked to perfection for a juicy, tender texture, they're perfect served with pasta or as a protein-packed appetizer.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies. Grate the zucchini and carrots using a box grater. Gently pat the zucchini dry with a paper towel to soak up some of the liquid.
- Mix together the ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, grated carrots and zucchini, basil pesto, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Mix the meatball ingredients together using a spatula or your hands until all combined.
- Make the meatballs. Using a small to medium cookie scoop (1.2 tablespoon size), form 2-inch sized balls (golf ball size) from the meatball mixture and place on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with non-stick spray in a single layer. You should get about 22 meatballs.
- Bake. Place the sheet pan in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F and bake for 14 minutes until the tops are golden brown and cooked through. Ensure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer.
- Serve. Serve the pesto meatballs immediately as they are or toss them with leftover pesto or simple tomato sauce with pasta noodles for a delicious meal.
Notes
- Patting the zucchini dry helps prevent the meatballs from being too wet and ensures better texture.
- You can substitute ground chicken with ground turkey or lean ground beef if preferred.
- If you want gluten-free meatballs, replace the breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs or almond flour.
- Using a cookie scoop helps ensure uniform meatballs for even cooking.
- Leftover meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 4 meatballs)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
