Ingredients
Paleo Pesto:
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts or pine nuts, or a combo
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 oz fresh basil leaves packed (you can sub in baby spinach for some of the basil if preferreabout 4 cups
- 1/2 cup light flavored olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast for flavor, optional
Chicken Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground chicken (or preferred ground mea- not too lean
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp pesto
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
For the Pesto:
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Combine walnuts or pine nuts, garlic, basil leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and nutritional yeast in a blender or food processor. Blend or process/pulse until a paste forms (not too smootscraping sides as needed.
For the Meatballs:
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Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and drizzle a large baking sheet with oil or spray with cooking spray.
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In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp of the pesto, egg, almond flour, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix with clean hands until well combined, the mixture will be sticky, especially with ground chicken!
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Tip - when forming the mixture into balls, wet your hands periodically to make them easy to handle. Chicken meatballs are very sticky! Form the mixture into 12-14 meatballs, lightly wetting your hands as necessary.
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Place on the prepared baking sheet 2” apart and bake for 15-18 mins, or until just cooked through.
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Serve over cooked Spaghetti squash, Zucchini Noodles, Cauliflower Rice or Roasted Potatoes,
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topping with the remaining pesto. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 393kcal
Carbohydrates: 6g
Protein: 22g
Fat: 32g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 112mg
Sodium: 700mg
Potassium: 625mg
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 1g
Vitamin A: 1614IU
Vitamin C: 7mg
Calcium: 111mg
Iron: 3mg