• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tara Teaspoon logo

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Easy Dinners
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Cookies
  • Cookbooks
    • Delicious Gatherings
    • Live Life Deliciously
  • Newsletter
  • Shop
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • Ask Tara
    • Privacy Policy Version 2022
    • Disclosure Statement
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Easy Dinners
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Cookies
  • Cookbooks
    • Delicious Gatherings
    • Live Life Deliciously
  • Newsletter
  • Shop
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • Ask Tara
    • Privacy Policy Version 2022
    • Disclosure Statement
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    TaraTeaspoon » Course » Main Dish » Easy Dinners

    This page contains affiliate and sponsored links. See my full disclosure.

    Published: by

    Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Jump to Comments
    Secret Ingredient Italian Meatballs in a skillet
    Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs pin
    spaghetti and meatballs pin

    Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs pack rich flavor into one bite. Serve them with marinara and spaghetti, on a hero sandwich, layered in lasagna or simply with a side of veggies.


    These pesto and red pepper Italian meatballs are no-fail, easy to make and pack in the flavor. They take less than 30 minutes to prepare and are tender and delicious thanks to a special combination of ingredients.

    italian meatballs in cast iron skillet with herbs

    You can never go wrong with classic Italian meatballs. I love to put them on sandwiches, with spaghetti or eat them with salad or veggies. I love their heartiness, and they make any dish more satisfying.

    I'm a meatball fan in general! Try my other recipes:

    Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs
    Chicken Chipotle Meatballs
    Open Face Meatball Sub
    Chicken Meatballs with Cumin and Orange

    If you follow Tara Teaspoon, you may have caught on that I love to add new flavors to classic dishes, which is exactly what I have done with these Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs.

    In this recipe I combined the sweet spice from red peppers and the savory richness from pesto (homemade pesto) and added them to the classic meatball. The result is a smooth, and savory meatball that makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

    Italian meatballs on spaghetti on black plate

    Ingredients for Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs:

    • 2 lbs ground beef
    • 1 small onion
    • ½ cup finely diced roasted red pepper
    • ⅓ cup prepared pesto
    • ¼ cup part-skim ricotta
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ¼ cup breadcrumbs

    Whether you like Italian meatballs crispy, simmered in sauce, or on top of spaghetti, you'll want them tender and flavorful.

    There are several ingredients that can make or break meatballs. You don't want to end up with tough, rubbery meatballs, so take note!

    making italian meatballs in silver bowl

    Why put ricotta or milk in meatballs?

    The protein in meat makes it shrink when it's cooked. This results in tough meatballs, so we need to add moisture and binders to break up those proteins but still hold everything together.

    Some recipes call for making a panade, or mixture of milk and bread to add to the meat. I simplify this step and use breadcrumbs and ricotta in place of milk. The bread acts as a binder, helping to keep everything together. The milk or ricotta adds moisture so the mixture doesn't completely dry out when cooked.

    Store bought pesto has a lot of salt. If you use store bought, eliminate the salt from this Italian meatball recipe.

    Meatball flavorings:

    I want meatballs with lots of flavor. Meatballs that don't rely on the sauce to make them tasty.

    Herbs, garlic and other seasonings are perfect as additions. I streamlined the recipe and added pesto! Pesto is the perfect mix of herbs, garlic and nutty cheese. I make homemade pesto and keep it in the freezer so it's handy.

    Adding roasted red bell peppers to this recipe did two things. It added moisture to the mixture without adding actual liquid (which is good to help the meat proteins from drying out and shrinking during cooking), as well as adding a little piquant taste. They also look quite pretty!

     

    Italian Meatballs in sauce in skillet

    Choose the right pesto.

    I make homemade pesto, but you may want to grab some prepared pesto from the store. I like to choose a prepared pesto with simple, whole ingredients. Look for olive oil, nuts, cheese and herbs. You don't want a lot of fillers or flavorless oils.

    Store bought pesto also has a lot of salt. More than you may put in a homemade recipe. If you use store bought pesto you can eliminate the salt from the recipe below.

    Make a lot and freeze!

    This recipe makes over 40 meatballs! What a dream. If you aren't making them for a party, you'll for sure have extra that you can freeze and use for a second meal.

    I roll all the Italian meatballs and place the extra ones on a small tray in the freezer for about half an hour. Then put them in a ziplock bag and freeze them for up to a month.

    Easy meal solved! You can pull them out to thaw for about 30 minutes before cooking them. Add a few minutes to the cooking time if you are preparing them from frozen.

    If you need recipes to accompany your meatballs, head on over to my Open-Faced Meatball Sub and Spaghetti Squash recipes.

    Meatballs on spaghetti on black plate

    How to make Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs:

    • Combine and mix together ground beef, onion, red pepper, pesto, bread crumbs, ricotta, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
    • Roll meatballs into 1 ½ inch diameter balls. Freeze or cook right away.
    • Sauté on stove in canola oil over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently to brown on all sides.
    • Or bake in 350ºF oven about 25 minutes.

    You can sauté or oven-bake the meatballs, whichever you prefer. I like to bake mine, giving me time to clean up or make my accompanying dish. They take about 25 minutes in the oven, or about 8 to 10 minutes on the stovetop, with some turning involved.

    Pesto and red pepper meatballs in cast iron skillet

    Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs

    Tara Teaspoon
    Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs pack rich flavor into one bite. Serve them with marinara and spaghetti, on a hero sandwich, layered in lasagna or simply with a side of veggies. 
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 25 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 55 mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 48 meatballs
    Calories 59 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 lbs ground beef
    • 1 small onion finely diced
    • ½ cup finely diced roasted red pepper
    • ⅓ cup prepared pesto homemade or storebought
    • ¼ cup plain bread crumbs
    • ¼ cup part-skim ricotta
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ tsp ground black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • In a bowl combine the ground beef, onion, red pepper, pesto, bread crumbs, ricotta, salt* and pepper. Mix together well. 
    • Roll meatballs into 1 ½ inch diameter balls. You can freeze them or cook right away. 
    • To saute meatballs on the stove, heat 2 teaspoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add a few meatballs (taking care not to overcrowd the pan). Cook, turning frequently to brown on all sides, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining meatballs. 
    • To bake meatballs, heat oven to 350ºF. Place meatballs single file on a rimmed baking sheet or in a glass baking dish. Bake until cooked through, about 25 minutes. 
    • Serve with marinara and spaghetti, try them on a hero sandwich, layered in lasagna or simply with a side of veggies. 

    Notes

    • *If the prepared pesto you buy is salty, reduce the kosher salt in the recipe or eliminate it altogether. 
    • If you freeze the meatballs to cook later, plan to defrost them before cooking, or defrost slightly and just bake, giving them several extra minutes of baking time to cook all the way through. 
    • Nutrition facts are a close calculated estimate based on the weight of the ingredients. 
    Try my other meatballs recipes: 
    • The Best Mexican Meatballs with Chipotle
    • Moroccan Porcupine Meatballs in the Oven
    • Chicken Meatballs with Cumin and Orange
    • Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs Dinner

    Nutrition

    Calories: 59kcalProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 102mgPotassium: 57mgVitamin A: 45IUVitamin C: 0.8mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 0.4mg
    Want to watch videos to show you how to cook?Check out our Youtube and try this recipe and more.

    Main Dish Recipes

    • Chicken Parmesan Cups
    • No-Fail Neapolitan Pizza Recipe
    • Real Neapolitan Pizza At Home
    • The New Wedge Salad
    • Chinese Cashew Chicken
    • Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
    • Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken Sandwich
    • Sweet and Sour Chicken
    Tara in kitchen making salad

    About Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.

    Find out more!

    Recipe, food styling, photography: Tara Teaspoon. Written by Anne Marie Miller.

    « Pastel Black and White Cookies for Spring
    Protein Powder Smoothie Flavor Mix-Ins »

    Filed Under: Appetizers, Beef, Easy Dinners, Italian, New Years, Party Foods Tagged With: easy dinner, freeze, italian meatballs, make ahead, meatballs, pesto, Ricotta

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mary Bench says

      May 17, 2019 at 7:01 pm

      These are amazing meatballs! Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Tessa Ostvig says

      June 06, 2019 at 5:43 pm

      My mouth is watering. I gotta try these meatballs! Grazie!

      Reply
    3. Ken says

      June 10, 2019 at 7:15 am

      Awesome recipe, everyone loved the meatballs.

      Reply
      • Tara says

        June 10, 2019 at 12:04 pm

        Ken great news! I'm so glad!

        Reply

    Let us know how it went! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    search this website

    I’ve been sharing my original ideas for years. What began as a passion, turned into a career as magazine Food Editor at Martha Stewart and then Entertaining Director at Ladies’ Home Journal. All in all, I’ve shared recipes, cooking tips, and DIY ideas with more than 24 MILLION people. Make that 24 million and one. Thanks for stopping by Tara Teaspoon!

    Delicious Gatherings

    Delicious Gatherings cookbook cover

    follow on social

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Calling all brownie lovers!

    Here's a quick guide to your favorite treat.

    I've compiled all my best tips and baking secrets onto one page. And it's 100% FREE!

    Enter your name here, and I'll send my Brownie Tips Sheet right to your inbox.

    Live Life Deliciously Recipe Sharing Group!

    In this group, we share dinner, dessert, snack, and lunch recipes. Any and all recipes are welcome (with a few rules). Let's make cooking and baking at home fun!

    Join Our Group

    Media Kit

    Footer

    Helpful Links

    • New Posts
      • Recipe Index
    • Cookbooks
      • Delicious Gatherings
      • Live Life Deliciously
    • About Me
      • Ask Tara
      • Videos
      • Contact Me
        • Privacy Policy Version 2022
        • Tara Teaspoon Disclosure Statement

    Popular Recipes

    • Cookbook
    • Easy Dinners
    • Grilling and Smoking
    • Chicken and Poultry
    • Baking
    • Halloween
    • Chocolate

    Recent Posts

    • Chicken Parmesan Cups
    • The Best Classic Gingerbread Cookies
    • Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Chocolate Chips
    • Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies
    • No-Fail Neapolitan Pizza Recipe

    Copyright © 2023 Tara Teaspoon on the Brunch Pro Theme