Perfect Pesto

Hey, Friends! If you’re like me and my family, we are always talking about what we’re going to have for dinner on any given day. Every so often, I have the time and the foresight to make something over the weekend that will last for at least a few days, like pesto, which has different variations and can be used to add an herbaceous, earthy flavor to pasta, rice, soups, and meat dishes. It can help make an easy, tasty weeknight dinner that leaves everyone happy.

In our kitchen, we love to take classic, basic recipes and riff on them (I’m married to a jazz musician, after all!) Pesto is super easy to make and oh-so-delicious. I'm psyched to share with you my little twist on the traditional Italian pesto, which I used this week to whip up some very satisfying Turkey Pesto Meatballs. These moist and flavorful meatballs give you all the joy of comfort food without all the heaviness. Paired with a spinach salad and a slice of crusty Earth Sky Time bread, this late spring meal checked off all the boxes.

Turkey Pesto Meatballs

2 lbs ground turkey 

2 large eggs

¾ cup bread crumbs (I use plain panko bread crumbs)

3 heaping Tbsp. Pesto*

Grated parmesan and/or romano cheese 

Chopped, fresh basil (for garnish)

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix turkey, eggs, bread crumbs, and pesto in a bowl with a large metal spoon. Drizzle a little olive oil over the surface of a baking sheet. Using an ice cream scoop or similar sized-spoon, scoop up some of the meat mixture and use your hands to make medium to small-sized meatballs. Place each one on the baking sheet and drizzle a little more olive over the top. Place sheet on the middle rack and bake for 15-20 minutes, checking to make sure they are no longer pink inside before serving. After 10 minutes, sprinkle grated cheese over the top of all the meatballs and put back in the oven on the top rack to finish. This recipe should make about 18 medium or 24 small meatballs. 

Make meatball subs topped with marinara and mozzarella cheese, serve them up with any type of pasta dish, or eat them on their own, garnished with more cheese, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes. Yum!

*My Perfect Pesto

1 ½ cups basil leaves

10 garlic cloves, roasted

⅓ cup toasted nuts (pine nuts,  almonds, and walnuts all work well)

1 ½ cups grated parmesan and/or romano cheese (feel free to combine the two!)

¾ cups extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. cracked, black pepper

A basic pesto recipe is made with all raw ingredients and pine nuts, specifically. Roasting the garlic and toasting the nuts (whichever type you use) gives pesto a richer, more nuanced flavor. By far, the easiest way to make pesto is to put all the ingredients into a food processor, minus the olive oil. Turn the food processor on and add olive oil in a steady stream during the mixing process until everything is incorporated. Note: I do not add salt to this recipe because I find that the cheese adds just the right amount of saltiness for my taste. Feel free to add salt to your own taste.

If you don’t have a food processor, make sure to chop the basil first, then combine all the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle. This is the traditional, old-school Italian way, but it will take longer.

Once all the ingredients are incorporated, you should have a lovely pesto with a thick consistency. If you want it a little thinner, add one or two more Tbsp. of olive oil.

If you need your pesto dinner to be even easier than this, I highly recommend Earth Sky Time’s Basil Kale Pesto. Their pesto is very tasty, has unique ingredients,  and doesn’t use any cheese, so it’s great if you’re looking for a non-dairy version. If you’ll be missing the cheese, add in 1 ½ cups of parmesan and/or romano before you mix up the meatballs. Enjoy!