Pesto Turkey Meatballs with Spring Veggie Orzo

This one-pot meal is perfect for any season, but we’ve been loving these herb-filled pesto turkey meatballs with spring veggie orzo this time of year. The orzo is super creamy and the meatballs are packed full of spinach, herbs, and feta. The perfect weeknight dinner…simple, hearty, and delicious! Pan-seared turkey meatballs, cooked together with spring veggies and creamy orzo pasta for a complete dinner made in just one skillet. This is truly one of those dinners that everyone at the table will love. Great for a weeknight, but fancy and unique enough to serve to guests as well.

I love how versatile this recipe is, I’ve used chopped asparagus in the orzo, as well as zucchini. I know this dish will be delicious with spring peas when they start growing in our garden. You can really use any of your favourite veggies! If you have a bag of frozen peas in your freezer, that’s perfect in this recipe as well.

How it all comes together…

The magic in these meatballs starts with a spinach and herb filled pesto. In a food processor or blender, you’ll blitz up the spinach, green onion, parsley, and garlic. That super flavourful mixture gets added to your ground turkey or chicken along with crumbled feta. I like to make the meatballs using a 1/4 cup retractable scoop. The golden, crispy outside of the meatballs comes from searing the meatballs in a skillet or dutch oven.

Once your meatballs are seared, you’re going to set them aside on a plate and add your orzo and water to the skillet. This is the step where you scrap up all the flavourful bits on the bottom of the skillet, don’t skip this step! Make sure you scrap all the goodness and golden bits and crispy pieces off the bottom of your skillet, all these bits are flavour!! Once your orzo cooks for 5-10 minutes, you’ll add the spring veggies and parmesan cheese and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Nestle your meatballs into the orzo and veggies and let cook for another 5ish minutes to warm your meatballs back up.

That’s it, it’s a pretty simple recipe but holy moly, it’s so full of flavour and it’s perfect for Spring evenings when the air is brisk and the veggies are coming up in your garden and at farm stands!

Pesto Meatballs with Spring Veggie Orzo

Author: Elizabeth
Servings: 4

Ingredients
2 cups spinach
1 cup parsley
2 green onions
2 cloves garlic
1 lb ground turkey or chicken
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup orzo pasta
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups chopped asparagus or thinly sliced zucchini or peas 1/4 cup grated parmesan
feta and parsley to garnish

Instructions:
1. MAKE THE MEATBALLS In a food processor, blitz together spinach, parsley, green onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Scrape down the sides and process until you have a finely chopped, pesto-like consistency.
2. In a medium bowl, combine spinach pesto mixture, ground turkey, and crumbled feta.
3. Over medium heat, add the olive oil to a skillet or dutch oven. Make 1/4 cup sized meatballs. Sear meatballs until crisp and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes, turning them 2-3 times. Transfer to a plate.
4. MAKE THE ORZO Once all your meatballs are cooked and transferred to a plate, add orzo to the skillet. Let the orzo toast for a minute or two then add the water. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and let orzo cook 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the spring veggies and stir. Continue to simmer the orzo and veggies for another 5 minutes. Add the grated parmesan and stir to combine. Nestle the meatballs back into the orzo and let them warm through.
6. Serve with a sprinkle of crumbled feta and a bit more parsley. Enjoy!

Lastly, if you make this one skillet Pesto Meatballs with Spring Veggie Orzo, be sure to leave a comment on Instagram! Above all, I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favourite!