Two ways to liven up meatballs or even a meatloaf are ricotta cheese and your favorite pesto sauce. Mixed right into the lean ground meat, the part-skim ricotta cheese adds moisture and creaminess while the pesto adds a depth of flavor and a slight richness. Along with one egg and Panko breadcrumbs, I like to bake my meatballs until juicy and cooked through. I used lean ground turkey here, but chicken, veal, pork or even grass-fed lean beef would work well.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Pesto Turkey Meatballs with Ricotta
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey
- ¼ cup pesto sauce
- ¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a parchment-lined baking sheet with olive oil spray. Combine all of the ingredients together with a rubber spatula ( or your hands!) in a large mixing bowl. Form into 10-12 meatballs; place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned and have reached an internal temp of 165 degrees. Serve warm over noodles, veggie noodles, rice or even polenta.
Tagged: baked meatballs, ground turkey, lean ground turkey, meatballs, panko breadcrumbs, part-skim ricotta cheese, pesto sauce, pesto turkey meatballs, ricotta cheese, turkey meatballs
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