1. In a bowl combine the turkey, bread crumbs, pesto, Parmesan and egg yolk. Use your hands to really mix the ingredients well. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls and place one a large plate. Place plate in the microwave and microwave on high for about 5-7 minutes. Meatballs will get firm. Drain grease off.
2. Pour spaghetti sauce in bottom of slow cooker. Gently place meatballs on top of sauce.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for about 3-5 hours. Serve meatballs and sauce over hot cooked noodles. Salt and pepper to taste.
Review:
I was excited to eat these meatballs because I love pesto. I was surprised that the flavor of the pesto was pretty subdued. They were super yummy just not really pesto-y. Because pesto is so expensive (almost $5.00 for a little container) I probably won’t make this recipe again, as is. I would just substitute tomato sauce (or something) for the pesto to bring down the price. The microwave is worth using because if you don’t you’ll have a ground turkey spaghetti sauce instead of meatballs. 4 stars.
I agree with Beau – I made gobs of my own pesto last summer. My Basil grew like a weed and I was able to freeze it throughout the winter when I had a pesto craving.
These meatballs look delicious – I'll have to give them a shot!
While it is true pesto is expensive in the store, it is not expensive to make. In addition, it is easy and not time consuming. This is especially true in the summer if one raises their own basil, which is very easy. (Actually, I often wonder if some smart Italian women of yesteryear did not come up with pesto so all the basil did not go to waste.) If it is winter, and there is no cheap basil available, use some greens from the grocery store — spinach, arugula …. experiment with the taste. Don't forgo enjoying pesto because of the cost in the grocery. 🙂