These Chicken Meatballs with Lemony Pesto White Bean Puree are a high-protein, high-fiber one-skillet dinner made with ground chicken and a creamy white bean puree blended with a lemony fresh basil pesto.
Pesto Chicken Meatballs
I am always looking for ways to add more fiber to my meals, and this creamy white bean puree is one of my favorite tricks. Blended with fresh basil pesto and lemon, it creates a silky sauce that’s delicious even for picky bean eaters. In fact, my friend’s toddler loves these meatballs! To boost the fiber even more, some of the mashed beans are mixed into the ground chicken meatballs instead of breadcrumbs, helping keep them tender and moist and naturally gluten-free. Everything cooks together in one skillet for an easy, high-protein, high-fiber dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
Why This Pesto Chicken Meatball Recipe Works
Canned white beans are a versatile, fiber-rich ingredient. We use them in the meatballs instead of breadcrumbs or eggs and blend them with the pesto, eliminating the need for olive oil.
- Multipurpose ingredients: The beans serve as a binder for the meatballs and form the base of the puree, while the pesto keeps the meatballs juicy and adds flavor to both components.
- Lighter pesto: Since we blend the beans with the pesto, you don’t need olive oil, which is usually a main ingredient.
- Gluten-free: This pesto meatball recipe skips breadcrumbs and uses mashed cannellini beans instead.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Since we’re using the beans and pesto multiple times, the ingredient list is fairly short. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Low-sodium cannellini beans: When you drain the beans, save the liquid! You’ll need this for the bean puree.
- 93% ground chicken for lean protein
- Meatball Seasoning: Onion powder, kosher salt
- Fresh basil is the base of the pesto.
- Garlic for flavor
- Grated Parmesan adds richness and saltiness.
- Lemon zest and juice: The acidity balances the garlic and Parm while brightening the pesto.
How to Make Pesto Chicken Meatballs
To keep the meatballs from being dry or too dense, avoid overmixing the meat and don’t overcook them. See the recipe card below for printable directions.
- Pesto: Blend the basil, garlic, Parmesan, and lemon zest and juice in a blender or mini food processor.
- Meatballs: Mash ⅓ cup of beans and mix them with the ground chicken, onion powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of pesto. Shape the mixture into 12 balls.
- Bean puree: Add the remaining beans to the blender and puree until smooth. If it’s too thick, pour in 1 tablespoon of the bean liquid at a time until it reaches a thinner consistency.
- Cook the meatballs in a skillet over medium-low heat until they are golden on all sides and cooked through. If you’re unsure if they’re ready, cut one in half to check that the center isn’t pink. Remove from the pan and wipe it clean.
- Make the sauce: Over low heat, pour the white bean pesto into the pan with ¼ cup of the bean liquid. Add a little water if needed. Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
Customize It
- Beans: Substitute Great Northern or navy beans.
- Meat: Use lean ground turkey.
- Herbs: Make the pesto with half basil and half parsley, chives, or arugula.
Chicken Meatballs with Lemony Pesto White Bean Puree
Ingredients
- 15 ounce-can low-sodium cannellini beans, liquid saved
- 1 lb 93% ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
Instructions
- In a medium bowl smash ⅓ cup of the drained beans with the back of a fork. Reserve the rest for later.
- Add ground chicken, onion powder and salt to the bowl with the smashed beans and mix.
- Blend basil, garlic, parmesan, lemon zest and juice in a high speed blender.
- Add two tablespoons of the pesto to the ground chicken and mix. Shape chicken into 12 balls roughly 3 tablespoons each.
- Add the remaining beans to the blender and blend until very smooth; add reserved bean liquid in tablespoon increments if needed.
- Spray a large skillet that has high walls with oil. Cook the meatballs on medium-low heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes getting each side golden. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe the pan clean with a wet paper towel.
- Reduce heat to low, put the reserved white bean pesto into the same pan with ¼ cup bean liquid* and stir, adding a few tablespoons water if needed. Add the meatballs and simmer until sauce has thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Last Step:
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Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
Serve these simple pesto chicken meatballs with pasta, crusty bread, a hearty salad, or your favorite vegetables for a complete meal.
More Chicken Meatball Recipes
Storage
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Microwave or reheat the meal on the stove over medium-low heat until warm.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Then, thaw in the fridge the day before eating.
- Meal prep tip: Double the pesto meatball recipe and freeze half for later.
More Pesto Recipes You’ll Love
If your garden is overflowing with basil, try one of these healthy pesto recipes for an easy summer dinner.
First time family didnt like recipe from here
Delicious! Easy to make and pairs well with couscous or quinoa. Very flavorful and low WW pts and High Protein.
This is a good recipe! The meatballs were tender and the pesto was fresh and tasty. This is a keeper recipe!
Side note – when heating up leftovers, the pesto is really thick, so adding a bit of water will help thin it out some.
This recipe is a fail. I will never make it again. I didn’t care for the texture of the sauce, which also lacked flavor.
Made this tonight exactly as written and I found it disappointing. For me the flavor and texture of the beans overshadowed the other ingredients. I’ve cooked so many recipes of yours that have become family staples, this was just a hiccup, They can’t all be winners.
The recipe is excellent! However, if you want to double or triple the recipe, the instructions stay as if you were only doing the single recipe.
Hi. I am making this today, will the pesto turn dark when heating with the meatballs as pesto does not like the heat
No, but make sure you wipe the skillet after you cook the meatballs or it will.
I have all the ingredients except the cannellini beans. Do you think the recipe would work if I substituted the cannellini beans with chick peas?
Thank you!
This was really good, but my pesto sauce turned out very thick. It still tastes very good, just too thick. I didn’t want to add too much water because I didn’t want to dilute the flavor too much. Anyone have suggestions on what I may have done wrong?
You can add some of the liquid from the beans.
This was delicious and I’m not a bean fan! My first pesto needed more liquid than the lemon juice. Is it ok to add bean liquid here, too?
It was very tasty and my husband liked it too! My only issue it is deceivingly labor intensive. Few ingredients but many steps and lots of dishes…So for this reason I gave it 4 stars but it tasted fantastic!
This was delicious! I’m not a bean fan, but I’m glad I gave it a try. One question, the first pesto did not have enough liquid from the lemon I had. What would be good to add, bean liquid, broth, something else?
I would add some of the liquid from the beans, in small amounts so you can get a consistency you like.
So good!
First time making it. I used basil paste because the store didn’t have fresh. 3 tablespoons is the equivalent. I had the teens sit down with me and try it. They approve and liked it ! Nice recipe !
It’s not my favorite, the flavor is nice but the texture of the sauce is not my fav. I won’t make it again, but it was fun to try!
This looks amazing! I’m gonna use it as meal prep next week. I don’t know if anyone cares, but I put this in my WW recipe builder and it came up 2 points per serving. Which makes me happy! Unless, of course, I’m doing it wrong!
A perfect summer staple! I love fresh pesto and pairing it with turkey meatballs is genius! The addition of the beans made the pesto creamy without the added calories. Another winner!
Hi! These look delicious. I am making them tonight for dinner. I was curious about the serving amount? Your recipe says it makes 3 meatballs…is that right? Its also under the nutrition section. Probably just a silly typo😊
The serving size is 3 meatballs. It makes 12
Why is sauce green when it is white bean pesto ??
Basil turns it green
I would need to eliminate the dairy (cheese). Any suggestions?
Nutritional Yeast
Do you find the canning liquid from the beans causes gas or because it is cooked is it not so bad? Mostly thinking of this for my 5 year old who isn’t a regular bean eater lol. Are there any substitution options for the canning liquid?
I usually liquid when I make beans over rice. You can replace with some broth and olive oil
Looks good but not just into ground chicken.
Can this also be made with ground turkey? If so, needed adjustments?
Thank you!
Her substitution suggestions list ground turkey. I wouldn’t imagine there would be any adjustments needed. I generally use them interchangeably based on what I have or what’s on sale.
Making these tonight! We have a jar of fresh pesto from Costco in the fridge at all times, so subbing that in since we have everything else on hand. My 11yo loves all things pesto, so I’m sure this will be a hit!
This looks so good I can’t wait to make it! I’m going to look for basil in my freezer tonight!
Is there enough sauce to mix with pasta? My daughter loves pesto pasta!
I think there is if you use 8 to 10 oz
Ohhhh this looks so good! I am going to try these with some spiralized zucchini noodles first!