Easy Italian recipes: pesto meatballs

Italy’s classic meatballs are very tasty and you don’t always have to have them with spaghetti.
Today we look at a variation on the Italian recipe, adding some pesto which will overwhelm anything else you put in your meatballs.
But if you like the fresh, tangy taste of pesto, this is a fantastic variation especially for the man in you who wants to pretend you don’t eat vegetables.

Ingredients: 600 grams of mixed mince meat, four tablespoons of pesto (better if it’s homemade pesto), four tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese, one garlic clove, some chopped parsley, two tablespoons of breadcrumbs, one egg, salt and pepper.

Chop the garlic clove and add the parsley.
Beat the egg slightly and add some salt and pepper.
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together until you get a consistent kind of paste.
Heat the oven to 180° C.
Line a baking tray with some oven proof paper and as you form the meatballs, place them on the tray.
Leave to cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

If you want to get fancy, you can try serving them with some mustard, or try a side salad as a light, summer meal.