These Apricot-Basil Breakfast Meatballs made me a local legend (well, kind of!)
I am the ‘Meatball Lady’
I am now know at my daughters’ school as the ‘meatball lady’ or the ‘meatball queen’ after having served these Apricot-Basil Breakfast Meatballs at several community events in the past year. Totally not kidding here. Blogger by day, meatball queen by night. That’s me!
They really are amazing though and after just one bite you’ll see why I’m pseudo-famous for these incredibly delicious little breakfast bites.
But I can’t take all the credit
Even though I’m the one basking in all the meatball glory these days I do owe the credit to Stacie for coming up with this recipe for our Spring 14-day Real Food Reboot program (now retired). She jokes that she just ‘threw a few things in the bowl’ and only tested the recipe once but I have to say…she nailed it. And I have an entire community of meatball-lovers to back me up on that one.
Short and sweet – just like the ingredient list
I could wax on all poetic about how flavorful these Apricot-Basil Breakfast Meatballs are, what with their juicy bits of sweet apricot and pungent basil mingling with the garlic…but I won’t. You’re better off just making them yourself. With just 6 ingredients there’s no reason not to.
They freeze beautifully so take advantage of bulk meat purchases and consider making a double or triple batch. You’re going to love these as an alternative to higher-sodium breakfast links – and they’re made without any added sugar making them a great option for the Whole30 or for those watching their intake of added sugars. And they’re crazy kid-friendly (even with that extra spinach in there).
That’s it! Short and sweet — just like the ingredient list. Now go forth and make meatballs!
Apricot-Basil Breakfast Meatballs
Ingredients
- ½ lb. ground pork
- ½ lb. ground turkey
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ cup dried apricots, finely diced
- ½ – ¾ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine ground pork, turkey, garlic cloves, spinach, basil, salt and pepper.
- Add apricots to remaining ingredients and mix with hands.
- Form mixture into 15 meatballs and place them on baking sheet.
- Bake in oven for about 13-15 minutes or until cooked through.
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.
Notes
All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/5th recipe (3 meatballs)
- Calories: 210
- Fat: 12g
- Sodium: 127mg
- Carbohydrate: 5g
- (Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 3g)
- Protein: 20g
Dietary
What’s your favorite unusual flavor combo? How about your favorite way to add protein to your breakfast? Share in the comments below!
Pin now to make later!
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
Oh wow are these great! I wasn’t sure about it with so much basil and spinach, but the taste is divine. I used ground chicken instead of turkey, but otherwise made it exactly as printed. I may add in some onions next time but this really is a great recipe. I start my Whole 30 November 1 and wanted to try some recipes out. This is a winner! Thank you.
I just finished making these. I made a double batch and plan to freeze them. They are delicious. I got the apricots at Whole Foods (in store) and it enabled me to get just enough. Thanks s much for the wonderful recipes and the comments are so helpful too.
Made these today as part of a W30 breakfast selection – they are so good! I made a double batch (in anticipation of them being great based on comments lol) and will be freezing a bunch for future use. Thank you!!
That’s great! I always double the batch too so I have some in the freezer.
These sound amazing! I’m going to give them a try, but I’m not sure what to serve with them. Any suggestions?
Hi Emily,
We serve them in place of breakfast sausage or bacon for breakfast but they’re also delicious with sweet potatoes or spaghetti squash and a side of roasted green beans or sauteed greens. They’re even great as a party appetizer.
Looks amazing! What can I sub for pork if I only eat turkey? I know the pork adds a certain amount of fat.
Hi Alicia,
I would add dark meat ground turkey (i.e. thigh meat) and be careful not to overcook them.