Turkey Pesto Meatballs
These turkey pesto meatballs are a fresh, flavorful and easy recipe! They’re paleo, whole30, and AIP-friendly.
I’m always looking to mix it up with some simple and cheap ground turkey. Meatballs are always an easy way to go, but when you’re looking to spice it up, these turkey pesto meatballs are just the thing!
These turkey pesto meatballs seriously make healthy and delicious eating easy! They have protein, healthy, fat and veggies all in one bite, making them perfect for healthy dinners or meal prep. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, whole30, and AIP.
Why are these Turkey Pesto Meatballs amazing?
- They’re made with nourishing ingredients. These turkey pesto meatballs are made free of gluten, dairy and flour, all while retaining delicious flavor!
- They’re super easy to make. Just blend up the sauce, saute the veggies, and bake the meatballs! So quick and easy!
The Ingredients for the Turkey Pesto Meatballs
- Ground turkey. You can also use ground chicken.
- Arugula, Fresh Basil, Olive Oil, Lemon, Garlic & Salt. These make up the delicious homemade pesto sauce!
- Coconut Flour. This is used as a binder for the meatballs
- Onion, Garlic, Fresh Basil, Nutritional Yeast, Salt, and Black Pepper. These really round out the flavor of the meatballs to give them their classic taste! You can omit the black pepper for AIP.
How To Make These Turkey Pesto Meatballs
- Prepare the pesto: Using a highspeed blender, blend all of the ingredients until smooth. Set aside in the fridge.
- Saute the onion & garlic: Using a medium pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-low heat. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes or until lightly translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
- Prepare the meatballs: Add the ground turkey, basil, coconut flour, salt, pepper, along with the remainder of the olive oil and onion and garlic mixture. Mix well to combine.
- Form the meatballs.
- Bake. Serve topped with pesto and a side of vegetables.
Tips & Tricks
- Use a storebought pesto if tolerated. This recipe is nut-free and dairy free, but if you can tolerate a store-bought pesto, feel free to use that instead!
What to serve these meatballs with…
- Zucchini noodles
- Spaghetti squash
- Gluten-free pasta of your choice
You’ll also love…
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Turkey Pesto Meatballs
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These turkey pesto meatballs are a fresh, flavorful and easy recipe! They’re paleo, whole30, and AIP-friendly.
Ingredients
For the pesto
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
For the meatballs
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/4 white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
Instructions
For the pesto
- Using a highspeed blender, blend all of the ingredients until smooth. Set aside in the fridge.
For the meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside
- Using a medium pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-low heat. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes or until lightly translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
- Add the ground turkey, basil, coconut flour, salt, pepper, along with the remainder of the olive oil and onion and garlic mixture. Mix well to combine.
- Form the mixture into meatballs and place on the baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through. The internal temperature should read 165 F.
- Serve topped with pesto and a side of vegetables.
Notes
All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 498
- Fat: 44.2g
- Carbohydrates: 5.2g
- Fiber: 1.8g
- Protein: 24g
This recipe was originally published in 2020 and updated in 2023. Photos by Modern Food Stories.
AIP
Low Carb
Paleo
Whole30
These were so good both on their own and with the pesto! Will definitely be making these again!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Kelley!!
How many servings does this make?
4 🙂
First and most important, my mixture yielded twelve 50g meatballs (when raw) and did not need 30 minutes in the oven. I have an electric standard oven and they were 2/3 up on the rack. I flipped after 15 minutes, and 8 minutes later they registered at 165°F in the center with my instant digital thermometer. They were perfect – super moist and not dry at all.
I made these meatballs to serve alongside Michelle’s AIP Mac and Cheese. While I was not a huge fan of the macaroni – I loved these meatballs!
I did not make the pesto sauce in this recipe because I had the “cheese” sauce. The “cheese” sauce in the Mac and “Cheese” recipe uses parsley (that I blended right into the sauce). For these meatballs, I switched out the basil and used parsley to match the flavor profile of the sauce.
Next time I will make 24 meatballs and serve as an hors d’oeuvres with the “cheese” sauce when covid is over and I can see and entertain my family again. Fondu time!!! Love it!
Also, to save time, I cut the onion in large dice then sautéed the onion and chopped garlic and set aside. Once cooled – I added the onion and garlic to raw whole parsley in my small food processor, gave it all a few quick pulses. PERFECT for rolling meatballs! The everything was chopped itty bitty but not pasty.
I will definitely be making these meatballs again with Michelle’s “cheese” sauce. Ooh! Thinking these little gems would be great in her Broccoli “Cheese” Soup as well!!!
Cheers!
★★★★★
If I don’t have coconut flour ?
You can add a little bit of tapioca or arrowroot starch instead!
Thank you so much, it was SO tasty!!!!
Thank you so much!!
Must try! This recipe is so good. I used store bought pesto and gluten free spiral noodles and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed!!