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.
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Notes
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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!
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Jess says
Wow. So good, fresh, and easy to make! I made smaller meatballs so they were more bite sized. Wish I had made a double batch… everyone is begging for more!
Stacie Hassing says
Right?! This is one of our favorite breakfast meat recipes. So good! Glad to hear you and everyone around you enjoyed them, too!
Heather H says
I can’t even right now with this recipe. I’m hobbling up every bite and so happy about how delicious healthy food is. Thank you for this ingenious combination of ingredients that is also so simple to make! I’m doing the happy dance.
Michelle Bravo says
Can you use fresh apricots?
Jessica Beacom says
My guess is that you can. Just choose ripe ones that are still a little firm so they stay together when cooking.
Marisa says
Would this recipe work with just ground Turkey breast, no pork?
Jessie Shafer says
Hi Marisa, yes you could use 1 lb of ground turkey instead of the mix of ground turkey and ground pork.
Kim says
The whole family love them…..