Cheesy Pesto Baked Meatballs with Burrata.
We adore these cheesy baked meatballs! Tender ricotta meatballs baked with marinara, burrata cheese and pesto then served with buttery garlic toasts. Comfort food at its finest.
We’re in a meatball kind of mood today!
These cheesy baked meatballs are filled with pesto and topped with burrata cheese, baked until melted and served with buttery little garlic toasts for dipping.
Talk about a huge family favorite.
This is serious comfort food and a dish that can be used in a multitude of ways.
P.S. it’s also a great way to use up some fresh basil and make pesto as we’re at the end of the season!
I use my favorite meatball recipe, which uses ricotta cheese. It’s the best secret ingredient because it helps the meatballs stay tender and moist. There is no drying out here and it also adds some lightness and delicate flavor.
The best part about these meatballs is that you can freeze them. I will make a batch and roll them, then flash freeze on a baking sheet. Then, I transfer them to the resealable bag or container and have them in the freezer as an easy meal.
Meatballs are one of my go-to meal prep dishes for that reason alone. I can make a bunch of them and separate them into different dishes, the freezer, etc.
My future self always thanks my past self when I do that.
Easy meals are saving my life at the moment!!!!
Now, while I love to make these for dinner… these are also the kind of meatballs I like to make for a special occasion. They are great for game day or gatherings where you can spoon the meatballs out and enjoy with little garlic toasts. You can also serve them in buns or of course, with pasta.
But they are fabulous on their own!
They have so much flavor and also tons of pretty color.
And if you’re so inclined, you could even try a meatball salad! The meatball salad is in my second book The Pretty Dish and it’s actually delicious. Satisfying and so tasty.
I even like to serve meatballs like this with a side of parmesan orzo or even rice. It’s a nice change of pace and makes the dish feel unique. You know? Like it feels like you’re eating a whole different meal, which eliminates some of that weeknight boredom.
Love that for us.
Cheesy Baked Meatballs
Cheesy Pesto Baked Meatballs with Burrata
Ingredients
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh herbs, like parsley and basil, plus extra for topping
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chicken or beef stock
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- ⅓ cup pesto
- 8 ounces burrata cheese, pulled apart
buttery garlic toasts
- 1 baguette, cut into rounds
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- flakey salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Whisk the ricotta cheese, egg and garlic together in a large bowl until combined and somewhat smooth. Add in the ground beef, parmesan, fresh herbs, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, dried basil and a big pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stir the mixture together until just combined, using your hands to bring it together as needed.
- Wet your hands slightly and roll the mixture into meatballs that are 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
- Heat the oil in a large oven-safe pot or skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides - let them get golden and dark all around.
- Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, loosening up the brown flavor bits on the bottom of the pan. Add in the marinara sauce.
- Transfer the meatballs back into the sauce. Drizzle with pesto. Pull apart the balls of burrata cheese and nestle them into the pan.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and melty. Serve with buttery garlic toasts.
buttery garlic toasts
- Make the toasts while the meatballs are in the oven. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic. Add as many baguette slides in a single layer as you can. Cook until golden and toasty. Flip and sprinkle with salt. Cook until the other side is golden and toasty too. Serve with the meatballs!
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I appreciate you so much!
Just bake me a pan of cheese.
10 Comments on “Cheesy Pesto Baked Meatballs with Burrata.”
I absolutely love your ingredients for the best flavor. I have a question:
What could I sub the meat for , we do not eat meat . Maybe an eggplant meatball? Any suggestions would be very helpful.
Thank You
I can’t wait to try these! I want to make extra to freeze like you mentioned. How many meatballs does this make, it says it yields 2 which I imagine is not correct. Thank you!
Looks like she meant to type “12”, not “2”, as I see 12 made. These are going onto my “Game Day” document!!!! Thank you, I love your blog and recipes!
These meatballs earned me a chef’s kiss from my Italian husband… who has always previously said my meatballs were “almost” as good as his grandmas’. Success! They are fabulous and the burrata takes them over the top. What I would like to know from ladies who are expert meatball makers is how to keep them from sticking to the pan during frying. Thank you for a great recipe!
could you use plant-based meat to make these?
Could you substitute – impossible burger (vegan) for the hamburger?
These are out of this world! I used Costco ground turkey which is 1.5 lbs and cottage Cheese because I didn’t have ricotta on hand. I also did a full jar of raos from Costco. I made it all up until baking while the kids were at school. Then popped it in the over before we were ready to eat. Such great herby flavor! The meatballs are hard to turn without falling apart. I had good luck with metal tongs to scrape under it and pick up to turn over. My friends all made for their families too and loved!
These were delicious. So moist. I will have leftovers for meatball subs.
These meatballs with your Parmesan herb orzo have become a regularly requested meal from my husband and toddler – love! When making ahead to freeze, do you just freeze them raw then add them back into the recipe to follow as normal with browning them from frozen? Or is there any added steps? Thaw overnight? Thank you!
i usually freeze raw (i flash free so they don’t stick together – put on a baking sheet, freeze for 1 hour, then put in bag/container to freeze). from frozen i usually do not brown them. i just add them to a slow cooker or pan with lots of sauce and cook on low for a few hours. but you can definitely thaw and sear!