Mashed Potatoes with Pesto Meatballs & Broccoli
Pesto folded straight into the ground beef before rolling. That is the move that separates these meatballs from the usual — basil and olive oil threaded through every bite instead of sitting on top as an afterthought.
Creamy mashed potatoes on one side, broccoli cooked until just crisp-tender on the other. 601 kcal and 30g of protein in about 30 minutes.
Pesto folded straight into the ground beef before rolling. That is the move that separates these meatballs from the usual — basil and olive oil threaded through every bite instead of sitting on top as an afterthought.
Creamy mashed potatoes on one side, broccoli cooked until just crisp-tender on the other. 601 kcal and 30g of protein in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- potato 0.5 pound
- milk, 2% reduced fat 1 tablespoon
- onion 0.5
- garlic 1 clove
- 96% lean ground beef 3 ounces
- pesto 1 tablespoon
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- broccoli florets (frozen) 8 ounces
Method
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Peel the potatoes and cut them into equal-sized pieces. Cook the potatoes in salted water for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
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Drain and mash the potatoes with the milk until creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.
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In a bowl, combine the ground beef with the garlic, onion, pesto, salt and pepper. Form small meatballs from the mixture.
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Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the meatballs for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
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Cook the broccoli in salted water for 5-6 minutes, until just tender but still crisp. Drain well.
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Serve the creamy mashed potatoes with the pesto meatballs and broccoli.
After draining the broccoli in step 6, stir in a small pinch of mustard powder. Frozen broccoli lost a key enzyme during commercial blanching, the one responsible for producing the compound most of the health research is actually about. Mustard carries the same enzyme and does the conversion on the broccoli's behalf.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Why mix pesto into the meatballs instead of using it as a sauce?
Folding pesto into the raw ground beef distributes the basil, olive oil, and parmesan through the entire meatball rather than leaving it on the surface. Every bite carries the flavor instead of just the outside layer. The oil in the pesto also keeps the lean beef (96% lean) from drying out during cooking.
Is frozen broccoli less nutritious than fresh?
Almost identical. Frozen broccoli retains its vitamins, minerals, and fiber within a small margin of fresh. The one thing it lost during commercial blanching is an enzyme called myrosinase, responsible for producing sulforaphane, broccoli's most-studied compound. A pinch of mustard powder or a handful of raw radish after cooking restores the conversion by supplying a compatible enzyme from another source.
Can I use turkey or chicken instead of beef?
Yes. Ground turkey (93-96% lean) or ground chicken both work. The meatballs will be slightly softer because poultry has less connective tissue than beef. Compensate by chilling the formed meatballs for 10 minutes before cooking so they hold their shape in the pan. The pesto flavor carries equally well in any ground meat.
