Monday, May 31, 2010

Cook: Pesto Meatballs & Couscous


I hope everyone's weekend has been great thus far!
Mine has been pretty good.
Though I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get the campfire smell out of my hair.
Anywho..Pesto Meatballs.
I got the original recipe for from my sister Jaclyn who got it from Real Simple Magazine.
When I made it myself I changed it up a little bit.
The recipe originally calls for ground beef, but I switched it out for ground turkey.
And I added a couple of things to make it a bit healthier.
This is a great dish for a lot of people or even for two.
It's similar to the stuffed shells, in that it looks like you've been in the kitchen all day.
But in reality it'll take you about 40 minutes from start to finish.

Pesto Meatballs and Couscous

Hands-on time: 15 minutes total time: 40 minutes

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the pan

1 ½ pounds ground turkey

½ cup dried Italian bread crumbs

¾ cup store-bought pesto

1 large egg

1 ½ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. ground pepper

1 Tbsp. ground flax seed

1 box couscous

Heat oven to 350. Drizzle Olive oil in the bottom of the pan. In a large bowl, combine the beef, bread crumbs, pesto, the egg, salt, and pepper. With your hands mix just until combine. Shape the mixture into 12 meatballs, using about ¼ cup for each. Transfer the meatballs to tray. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake until cooked through, about 10 more minutes. Meanwhile prepare the couscous according to the package directions. Once couscous is fluffed and the meatballs are cooked, sit down and enjoy!

xo