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    TaraTeaspoon » Easy Dinners » Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs

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    Published: · Modified: Oct 7, 2020 by

    Pesto and Red Pepper Italian Meatballs

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    Secret Ingredient Italian Meatballs in a skillet
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    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 tsp kosher salt
    • ½ tsp 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 2 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 tsp 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 tsp 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.

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    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.

    Filed Under: Appetizers, Beef, Easy Dinners Tagged With: easy dinner, freeze, italian meatballs, make ahead, meatballs, pesto, Ricotta

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    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

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