Description
High-protein, flavorful meatballs made with ground chicken, pesto, and cottage cheese — ideal for meal prep, snacks, or appetizers.
Ingredients
5 oz pesto (store-bought or homemade)
10 oz low-fat cottage cheese
2 eggs
2 lbs ground chicken
5 oz grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
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Blend the cottage cheese, pesto, and eggs in a small blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
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Add the ground chicken, blended pesto mixture, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork or serrated chopper to combine gently without overmixing.
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Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and lightly oil the bottom tray or basket.
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Use a tbsp ice cream scoop to portion about 40 mini meatballs into the air fryer basket, cooking in batches as needed. Cook for 7 minutes, shaking at the 4-minute mark.
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Let cool slightly before serving or storing.
Notes
These meatballs stay tender and juicy thanks to the cottage cheese. Double the batch — you’ll want extras for freezing.
Store-bought pesto can be really strong. So you may want to try with 4 oz's instead.
If you want one bite meatballs, definitely use a teaspoon scoop instead of tablespoon.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 28
- Category: Appetizer, Snack
- Cuisine: American, Italian-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 Mini Meatballs
- Calories: 155
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 310mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 16g
- Cholesterol: 70mg