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    Allianna's Kitchen » Meals » Main dish

    Published: Jan 1, 2022 · Modified: Jan 11, 2022 by Allianna Moximchalk · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Gluten Free Pesto Meatballs (Whole30, AIP Option)

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    These Gluten Free Pesto Meatballs are super easy to make and something the whole family can enjoy! These meatballs are soft, moist, and full of flavor. The fresh pesto to serve and inside the meatball is what takes this recipe to a whole new level!

    side shot of gluten free pesto meatballs on beet noodles

    Gluten Free Pesto Meatball Ingredients: 

    • Ground chicken–I like to get mine from Butcher Box. Butcher Box has the best quality meats, seafoods and proteins that get sent right to my door once a month. If you use my code HERE you can get a bunch of free meat on your next order. 
    • Gluten free flour-I like cassava flour! Otto’s is my go to brand. It is important to remember not all brands are created equally when it comes to cassava flour so that is why I stick to Ottos.
    • Sea salt and parsley-For flavor.
    • Black pepper-Omit for AIP.
    • Egg-To bind everything together. If you are doing AIP (The Autoimmune Protocol) you can substitute with a gelatin egg using my recipe HERE.
    chicken meatball ingredients laid out in bowls
    gluten free pesto meatballs 123

    For The Pesto:

    • Fresh basil-Washed and leaves pulled. 
    • Nutritional yeast-To give these meatballs a cheesy flavor. If you do eat dairy you can use regular parmesan. 
    • Pine nuts-To thicken the sauce.
    • Garlic-For flavor.
    • Olive oil-Adds the best flavor!
    • Lemon juice-To taste. 

    how to make gluten free pesto meatballs

    How To Make:

    For the pesto-

    • Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. 

    For the meatballs-

    • Preheat the oven to 350. 
    • Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well throughout. 
    • Add a piece of parchment paper to a baking sheet and scoop the meatballs with a 1 inch cookie scoop onto the baking sheet. 
    • Bake for 25 minutes. 
    • Pour the remaining sauce on top of the meatballs.

    chicken meatballs tossed in pesto saice

    How Should I Serve?

    • These meatballs make for a great appetizer or also go great over vegetable noodles (zoodles) , cauliflower rice or with broccoli! 

    close up of pesto meatballs

    If you like this recipe, you will LOVE my other meatball recipes:

    • BBQ Bacon Meatballs
    • Paleo Swedish Meatballs
    • Paleo Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

    If you enjoyed this recipe it would mean the world to me if you rated it and left a comment below. It helps others find it on google.

    close up photo of meatballs with pesto sauce over beet noodles

    Gluten Free Pesto Meatballs (Whole30, AIP Option)

    Course Meals
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes minutes
    Servings 12 meatballs
    Author Allianna Moximchalk
    388kcal
    Cost $8
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Equipment

    • Food processor
    • baking sheet

    Ingredients

    For pesto:

    • 4 cups fresh basil
    • 1/2 cup pine nuts omit for AIP
    • 8 cloves garlic
    • 1 1/2 cup olive oil
    • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese if you tolerate cheese
    • 2 lemons juiced
    • 1/2 tsp salt

    For the meatballs:

    • 1 pound ground chicken
    • 1/3 cup pesto from above
    • 1 egg skip for AIP
    • 1/4 cup gluten free flour I like cassava flour, especially for AIP. Almond flour will work for non-AIP.
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp dried parsley
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper omit for AIP

    Instructions

    For the pesto:

    • Place all ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth.

    For the meatballs:

    • Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Using a cookie scooper scoop the mixture into 12 small balls and roll. Bake for 25 minutes. Pour remaining sauce over meatballs to serve.
      If you enjoyed this recipe it would mean the world to me if you rated it and left a comment below. It helps others find it on google.

    Notes

    If you enjoyed this recipe it would mean the world to me if you rated it and left a comment below. It helps others find it on google.
    Pesto infused meatballs the whole family will love!
    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 388kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 587IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Tag me on instagram @alliannaskitchen!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lori says

      February 07, 2022 at 8:27 pm

      5 stars
      Pesto is so good and in these meatballs – it makes them so flavorful! Unique recipe that is so good

      Reply
      • Allianna Moximchalk says

        February 08, 2022 at 11:42 am

        Pesto is SO good – so glad you enjoyed this meatball pesto recipe 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Allianna! Allianna's Kitchen started by accident after battling an undiagnosed autoimmune disease for nearly my whole life.

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