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Recipe: Roasted Garlic Pork Meatballs with Walnut Arugula Pesto
Now that fall is just around the corner, everyone is back and school and your workload is a bit more substantial (ok, a lot more substantial) than it was in August it can be hard to find extra time to put dinner on the table. While this is not quite a complete meal, both the meatballs and the pesto can be made ahead of time so when it comes to the 30 minutes between walking in the door and sitting down for supper, you’ll be ahead of the game.
Of course, these pork meatballs would also be fantastic in a variety of pasta sauces and the pesto makes a great spread for sandwiches when mixed with a little bit of greek yogurt or mayonnaise.
What you’ll need…
Meatballs:
1 yellow onion (diced)
1 1/2 lb ground pork
1 egg
1 bulb garlic (roasted, loosely chopped)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 TBSP soy sauce
2 TSP grainy dijon mustard
1 TSP dried parsley
salt and pepper
canola oil
Pesto:
1 clove garic
1 lemon (zested and juiced)
1 1/4 cup arugula (packed)
2/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cook down the diced onion in a pan with a bit of canola oil on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Place into large mixing bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Next, add in remaining meatball ingredients, season generously with salt and pepper and mix with hands until well-incorporated. Roll out by hand into 20 small meatballs, approximately 1″ in diameter.
Heat some canola oil in a large pan on medium-high heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, working in two batches. Transfer to a large baking dish and let roast in the oven until completely cooked through, about 15 minutes. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
For the pesto, place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse while slowly adding some olive oil (should only need approximately 1/3 cup) until a chunky sauce forms. Scoop into a small bowl, season lightly with salt and pepper and give the pesto on final stir.
To serve, place small spoonfuls of the pesto onto a serving platter and top with the warm meatballs. The pesto will keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Yields 20 meatballs, 2 cups pesto
Total cook time…30 min