One Pan Baked Pesto Orzo with Chicken Meatballs
Apr 19, 2025 01:51 PM
Delicious melt-in-your-mouth pesto chicken meatballs made with shredded zucchini for a boost of nutrition. Paired alongside an incredible creamy pesto orzo with vitamin D packed mushrooms and brightness from lemon! Get your veggies and nutrition in, all while having a comforting well-rounded meal.
All I can say is WOW do I have the coziest, most flavorful one pan meal for you. After my family fell in love with One Pan Tomato Basil Baked Orzo I knew I wanted to create another version with a new, bright flavor combination.
This new one pan chicken meatball pesto orzo is packed with your favorite basil pesto cooked right in the meatballs and orzo. The meatballs get perfectly juicy from shredded zucchini, which adds an easy boost of veggies, too! Golden, tender mushrooms add a wonderful savory element, and the whole dish gets topped with glorious, melty mozzarella cheese.
Just LOOK at that epic cheese pull. This one’s great for customizing and boosting the veggies, and is the perfect meal for busy weeks that the whole family will love.
Ingredients:
For the Meatballs
- 1 small to medium zucchini
- 1 pound 93% lean ground chicken (or turkey)
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, gluten free if desired
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons your favorite basil pesto
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Optional: ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the Mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound baby bella mushrooms (or a mix of mushrooms of choice), coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
For the Creamy Pesto Orzo
- 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk of choice (I recommend whole milk or 2%)
- ⅓ cup your favorite basil pesto
- 1 pound uncooked orzo
- Zest from 1 lemon
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
To Garnish
- ¼ cup fresh julienned basil
- Freshly grated/shredded Parmesan cheese
- Red pepper flakes
Prep Time:
25 minutes
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
55 minutes
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