Easy Meatball Pesto Pasta
Meatball Pesto Pasta is a quick and easy recipe perfect any night of the week. With a basil pesto sauce, juicy meatballs and al dente pasta.
Servings: 4
Calories: 733kcal
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Teaspoon
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Soup Spoon
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Large saute pan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Kitchen Tongs
- 1 Paper towel
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
Basil Pesto
- 3 cups basil leaves leaves only, stems discarded
- ⅓ pistachio nuts Note 1
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup pecorino romano cheese Note 2
- ½ cup/125 ml olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Beef Meatballs
- 500 grams/16 oz ground beef (beef mince) makes around 24 meatballs
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 egg free range
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Pasta
- 500 grams/16 oz spaghetti
- ½ cup/125ml reserved pasta water Note 3
Instructions
- Basil pesto: add the basil leaves, pistachio nuts, garlic and pecorino romano cheese to the bowl of a food processor and blitz for around 10 seconds to combine. Remove the lid, scrape down the insides of the bowl, then slowly pour in the olive oil, put the lid back on and pulse to combine. Use a teaspoon to taste the pesto. Then pour in half of the lemon juice. Pulse for a couple of seconds then taste again and add the remaining lemon juice if desired. Use a spatula to transfer the combined pesto into a small bowl, then set aside.
- Meatballs: add the beef mince, panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, egg, salt and pepper to a medium bowl. Use clean hands to combine. Then take a soup spoon and portion out a small amount of the mixture. Roll this into a meatball using the palms of your hands then place onto a chopping board. Repeat this process till all of the mixture is used up.
- Cook meatballs: place a large sauté pan on the stove, turn the heat to high and add the olive oil. Then use kitchen tongs to place the meatballs into the pan. Cook them, using a wooden spoon to move around the pan and kitchen tongs to flip to the other side for 10 to 12 minutes. Once cooked remove the meatballs and place them in a paper towel lined bowl.
- Pasta: read and follow the instructions on the package for the pasta to cook it in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water. Moments before it is ready, use a heatproof jug to scoop out 1 - 2 cups of the pasta water and set aside. Then use a colander to drain the spaghetti and discard the remaining water.
- Pasta, pesto and meatballs: without cleaning or rinsing the pan you cooked the meatballs in add the cooked drained spaghetti. (Not heat required). Then dollop in the pesto. Use the tongs to place the cooked meatballs in also. Next pour in ½ cup (125ml) of the pasta water. Use kitchen tongs to toss and combine. Allow to heat through on medium- low heat if necessary.
- Serve: garnish the dish with a liberal amount of black pepper, pecorino romano cheese and basil leaves. Provide forks and spoons for eating.
Notes
- Note 1 - Pistachio nuts: you can use pine nuts, cashews or walnuts to the equivalent amount in place of the pistachio nuts.
- Note 2 - Pecorino romano cheese: you can use parmesan cheese to the equivalent amount if you have it and not pecorino.
- Note 3- Reserved pasta water: I usually scoop out 1 to 2 cups as it is easier than having less than you need. The amount we pour into the pasta sauce however, is a specific ½ cup (125ml).
- Note - Serving size: you can decrease the portion sizes to increase the volume of servings. The recipe makes 23-25 meatballs so there is plenty of pasta and meatballs to go around!
Nutrition
Calories: 733kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 441mg | Potassium: 831mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1063IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 6mg