These apricot basil breakfast meatballs made me famous in my town. After serving them at several community events at my kids’ schools when they were younger, my daughter’s friends dubbed me the ‘meatball lady’, a title I still carry proudly. However, I can’t take all the credit because Stacie originally developed this breakfast meatball recipe.
She claims that she just threw a few things in a bowl and it turned out great, even after just one test. And, I agree. She nailed it. These meatballs are sweet, savory, and truly worth raving about.
Recipe Highlights
- Simple and quick: This recipe calls for eight easy-to-find ingredients. Once those are gathered, all I have to do is mix them up, portion, and bake. The meatballs are ready to eat in less than 30 minutes, start to finish, and cleanup is easy.
- Meal prep friendly: One batch makes a lot (I usually get 22 to 24 meatballs), which feeds plenty of people. They also store and reheat well, so I often make extras to enjoy for an easy high-protein breakfast, particularly on busy days.
- Get protein at breakfast: A serving of 4 meatballs provides 26 grams of protein, making it easier to reach my daily protein goals. And thanks to the spinach and apricots, I’m able to sneak in vitamins, nutrients, and fiber for any picky eaters, too.
Key Ingredients
This isn’t the full ingredient list, just a few of my notes regarding the main ones:
- Ground meat – I use a combination of ground pork and ground turkey or ground chicken to keep the meatballs moist and flavorful, but any ground meat or combination of ground meats will work.
- Fresh spinach – the spinach provides vitamin K, vitamin A, B vitamins, manganese, folate, and copper. I like to use baby spinach for a slightly sweeter taste.
- Fresh basil – use fresh basil and chop it finely. May sub other fresh herbs or use a combination of a few herbs, such as parsley, sorrel, tarragon, mint, cilantro, dill, or chervil.
- Dried apricots – chopped dates or figs will also work.
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
My Favorite Ways to Serve
I often make these breakfast meatballs for meal prep and serve them alongside fresh fruit or my go-to green smoothie. They also make an excellent addition to a spring breakfast or brunch on Easter, Mother’s Day, or for baby and wedding showers.
For special occasions, I pair them with more Mother’s Day recipes or healthy Easter recipes. Or, if I’m hosting a weekend brunch, I make a big spread with options like easy cheesy scalloped potatoes, Greek yogurt bagels, crockpot french toast casserole, and my healthy deviled eggs.
How to Store
To store, I transfer cooled meatballs to an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or, for a longer-lasting option, I freeze for up to 3 months.
To serve, I thaw frozen meatballs in the fridge overnight. Then, I just pop them in the microwave or a skillet on the stovetop to warm them back up.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Apricot Basil Breakfast Meatballs Recipe
These breakfast meatballs are a quick and easy, high-protein, nutrient-dense protein option for breakfast. Naturally gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free, and dairy-free, these sweet and savory meatballs store, freeze, and reheat well, making them great for meal prep.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground turkey or ground chicken
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (1½ tablespoons)
- 1½ cups finely chopped fresh spinach
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup finely diced dried apricots
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, ground turkey (or chicken), garlic, spinach, basil, dried apricots, salt, and pepper. Use a large spoon or your hands to mix the ingredients together until well combined.
- Using a 3-tablespoon scoop, form the mixture into 22-24 meatballs. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between the meatballs for even baking.
- Bake until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 165°F, 15-18 minutes.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To freeze, let meatballs cool completely then place in a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe (4 meatballs)
- Calories: 312
- Fat: 18 g
- (Sat Fat: 6 g)
- Sodium: 327 mg
- Carbohydrate: 9 g
- (Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 6 g)
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 97 mg
Dietary
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
These were good but they weren’t very breakfast-y to me. I would definitely use them for lunch or maybe dinner but I didn’t consider them a breakfast meatball.
Thanks for the feedback, Courtney!