Pesto Beef Meatballs

Meatballs: you love them, or you love them. They are one of the kitchen's most brilliant creations. A simple ball of delicious ground meat, browned until crispy then eaten plain, in a sandwich, or as a fabulous companion to pasta and red sauce. I'm not going to change the way you eat them, just the way you make them. Don't stop at simple ground beef, and let your fridge be your inspiration. These babies get a heaping spoonful of a vibrant pesto. The pesto gives them an incredibly fresh flavor and a nice basil-y parmesan taste. It also makes them juicy and nutty and different. Basically, they're awesome and are only an additional reason to obsess over meatballs.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh pesto
1/2 an onion, diced
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
2. Throw some olive oil in a pan and heat it up. When it's hot, add your onions and sauté until soft.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

3. In a large bowl combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, pesto, and cooked onions. Add a generous sprinkle of each of the spices and mix until well combined.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

4. Mix it up, mix it up well.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

5. Rub a baking sheet with olive oil. Mold the mixture into 2 inch balls, spacing them evenly on the baking sheet.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

6. Bake for 15 minutes on 375ºF. Turn on the broiler and cook with a watchful eye for 2 minutes, until the tops get a little crispayyy.

Photo by Amanda Shulman

7. Eat. Eat them plain, put them on pasta or zucchini noodles with some tomato sauce, and just have a regular old meatball party.

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