This Creamy Pesto Pasta and Meatballs dish is one of my favorite meals to make. It's perfect for every occasion from a midweek dinner to a comforting party dish. I hope you love it as much as we do in our household!
I'm making everything in the simplest way from scratch from the meatballs which are made using ground pork, ground beef, breadcrumbs, and egg to the pesto which is a classic recipe of basil, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil, and garlic. The sauce is made creamy and my personal favorite pasta to serve this with is spaghetti!
The meatballs would also go really well on top of my spicy boursin pasta, sweet potato pasta sauce dish, or my lemon boursin pasta which is made all in one pan! Another pasta dish I love though, is my chicken spinach alfredo which is great for a weeknight dinner.
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Why You'll Love This Creamy Pesto Pasta and Meatballs Recipe
- Option to make from scratch or buy storebought meatballs and pesto!
- Super comforting and great for a weeknight dinner
- Great for meal prep for the week
Top Tips!
If you're new here, hey, I'm Em - a recipe developer, cookbook author, and lover of food! I'm so glad you're here!! Here are my top tips for this recipe:
- Use 50/50 pork and beef for the meatballs! The combination of both ground meats results in the juiciest most flavorful meatballs
- Don't forget the breadcrumbs and the egg for the meatballs! They both act as binders and retain moisture.
- Don't overwork the meatballs: mix gently with your hands until combined (I like forming my hand into a claw and then gently mixing this way).
- For the pesto: use a pestle and mortar, food processor, or nutribullet. And don't over-blend the pesto, we want it slightly chunky.
- Make sure to keep that pasta water to add to the final result to keep the dish saucy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the meatballs
Ground pork: Pork has a higher fat content than beef, which makes the meatballs juicier and more tender, giving them a softer, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It also adds a subtle sweetness that balances the stronger, savory taste of beef.
Ground beef: Beef provides a deep, rich, “meaty” flavor along with a firmer texture that helps the meatballs hold their shape and develop a browned crust when cooked.
Breadcrumbs: not only does this help retain the moisture in the meatballs because it soaks up any extra juices and fat, but it also provides a lovely texture to the meatballs. I love making my own breadcrumbs by blitzing a piece of bread.
Egg: this acts as the binder for our meatballs. Feel free to replace with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
You can optionally make my turkey meatballs or chicken meatballs if you don't fancy pork or beef!
For the creamy pesto
Basil: fresh basil is essential to making a great pesto. You could alternatively do 50/50 basil and parsley.
Pinenuts: fresh or lightly toasted pinenuts! If you don't have pinenuts, I've made this recipe with walnuts before or toasted almonds and it's delicious!
Parmesan: freshly grated parmesan. If you don't have this, you could use pecorino cheese.
Olive oil: the nuttiness adds flavour and the consistency adds texture and loosens the pesto sauce.
Garlic: fresh garlic is best.
The final ingredients
Cream: I'm using single or low fat cream to make the sauce extra saucy.
Spaghetti: I love using spaghetti or linguine for this recipe. You could alternatively use fusilli, rigatoni, or orzo!
The full list of ingredients and quantities is at the bottom of this blog in the recipe card!
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg (or olive oil), a large pinch of sea salt, and grinding of black pepper. Gently mix the ingredients until combined (don't overwork the meat!). Once combined, form into golf-sized meatballs. You should be able to make 16-18 meatballs. Set aside.
Step 2: Place a large skillet on medium heat and drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add in your meatballs and leave to fry on one side for 3 minutes, then fry on each side for 3 minutes - a total of 12 minutes. The meatballs should be golden brown and cooked all the way through. Remove from the pan once cooked and set aside - keeping the pan.
Step 3:
Note: Begin cooking your pasta to packet instructions! Make sure to keep the pasta water.
Meanwhile, prepare your pesto. To a food processor, add all of your pesto ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Blend until your desired consistency. I personally like mine smooth with little chunks. Taste and season according to your preferences!
Step 4: Place the pesto, cream, and pasta water back into your meatballs pan. Stir to combine and place on low heat.
Step 5: Once the sauce is warmed through, add in the cooked pasta and meatballs. Stir to combine.
Step 6: Divide your spaghetti, creamy pesto sauce and meatballs between 4 bowls. Top with extra grated parmesan, and enjoy!
What To Do with Creamy Pesto Pasta and Meatballs Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Eat cold or reheat in the microwave (add a splash of milk or water before reheating to keep the pesto saucy).
In the freezer Just like I suggest in my sundried tomato pasta recipe, this creamy pesto pasta and meatballs dish can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months (don't forget to label the container with the date and contents). Great for preparing in advance!
More Pasta Recipes
FAQs
I love adding single or light cream to the pesto. In addition, I use pasta water which is a great starchy water that brings the sauce together while keeping things saucy.
This is up to you, how creamy or saucy you like your dish. I tend to add around 50ml pasta water and combine that into the sauce until the sauce thickens slightly.
I make the meatballs into golf-sized shapes. For this recipe, it makes around 16-18 meatballs.
To create the best meatballs, I'd recommend using both. But if you only have one, then that's fine. The texture and flavour may differ slightly.
Yes, of course! Make sure to season the meatballs when frying them in the pan.
Absolutely, I just love making it from scratch!
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@myriadrecipes).
Creamy Pesto Pasta and Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 250 g ground pork
- 250 g ground beef
- 60 g breadcrumbs
- 1 egg or 1 tablespoon olive oil
Homemade pesto
- 40 g basil
- 30 g pine nuts you can toast these for a deeper flavor
- 40 g parmesan grated (plus extra for garnish)
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
Other ingredients needed
- 300 g spaghetti cooked to packet instructions - make sure to keep that pasta water once cooked!
- 100 ml cream single or light cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg (or olive oil), a large pinch of sea salt, and grinding of black pepper. Gently mix the ingredients until combined (don't overwork the meat!). Once combined, form into golf-sized meatballs. You should be able to make 16-18 meatballs. Set aside.
- Place a large non-stick skillet on medium heat and drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add in your meatballs and leave to fry on one side for 3 minutes, then fry on each side for 3 minutes - a total of 12 minutes. The meatballs should be golden brown and cooked all the way through. Remove from the pan once cooked and set aside - keep the pan (we'll use this to combine everything later).
- Begin cooking your pasta to packet instructions in salted boiling water! Make sure to keep the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, prepare your pesto. To a food processor, add all of your pesto ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Blend until your desired consistency. I personally like mine smooth with little chunks.
- Place the pesto, cream, and pasta water back into your pan. Stir to combine and place on low heat.
- Once the sauce is warmed through, add in the cooked pasta and meatballs. Stir to combine.
- Divide your spaghetti, creamy pesto sauce and meatballs between 4 bowls. Top with extra grated parmesan, and enjoy!
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