Meal Prep
Chimichurri Pesto Meatballs
This Chimichurri Pesto Meatballs recipe is bold, garlicky, and straight-up flavor-packed- juicy meatballs coated in a vibrant, herbaceous sauce that feels way more like fine dining than meal prep. With 64.3g of protein per serving and a perfectly balanced macro profile, it’s the kind of meal that turns heads, fuels your day, and makes your lunch feel elite.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
High protein
Chimichurri Pesto Meatballs
64.3g protein901 calories per serving
- Prep Time
- 30 mins
- Cook Time
- 20 mins
- Total Time
- 50 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
Ingredient links open Walmart products from our grocery planner. Links marked “Walmart search” need your product choice. Confirm package details and local availability at Walmart.
For the Meatballs:
For the Chimichurri:
For the Sprouts:
For the rice:
Instructions
Heat oven to 375°F. Line two large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Begin cooking rice according to your preferred method. I love my rice cooker!
1 cup dry jasmine rice
In a food processor or blender, combine parsley, oregano, & garlic. Pulse a few times to break down the herbs. Do not pulverize- as weird as it is may sound, you want it to remain slightly chunky.
1 cup parsley, 2 tbsp oregano, 6 cloves garlic
Stir in oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, & red pepper flakes. If sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water to thin it out.
¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp water, ¾ tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Chop brussels sprouts into halves. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped sprouts with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, olive oil, red wine vinegar, black pepper, & red pepper flakes. Evenly mix, then spread over one of the large baking sheets.
1 tbsp garlic powder, ½ tbsp onion powder, ½ tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp black pepper, ½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 lb 93% lean ground beef, ¾ cup bread crumbs, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, ½ tbsp garlic powder, ½ tbsp onion powder, ½ tbsp paprika
Roll the meat mixture into 1 ½ inch balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on the baking sheet. You will make around 32 meatballs for the original four-serving batch.
Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook for 5 more minutes until the meatballs are browned and have reached an internal temperature of 165°F. Discard any fat that leaked out of the meatballs, then remove from the oven.
Broil the sprouts for a few minutes, until desired crispiness has been achieved. Be CAREFUL here... the sprouts will burn incredibly fast is your are not on top of this.
Separate the meatballs & sprouts into the selected number of servings, topping with remaining chimichurri sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving.
- Calories
- 901 kcal
- Protein
- 64.3 g
- Fat
- 37.8 g
- Carbs
- 76.7 g
Full nutrition and how it’s calculated
All values are per serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Saturated Fat
- 10.23 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3.92 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 20.2 g
- Trans Fat
- 0.81 g
- Cholesterol
- 246 mg
- Sodium
- 1,409 mg
- Potassium
- 1,813 mg
- Fiber
- 11 g
- Sugar
- 5.8 g
- Added Sugar
- 1.2 g
- Vitamin A
- 239 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 166.09 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.84 mcg
- Calcium
- 233 mg
- Iron
- 13.65 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$8.45 per serving · $33.82 for this batch
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- 93% lean ground beef: $17.15
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. BLS lean/extra-lean category average; not an exact 93% lean product quote.
BLS: Ground beef, lean and extra lean · Price checked 2026-09-21
- bread crumbs: $0.24
81 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 108 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Plain Bread Crumbs, 15 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- eggs: $0.28
114 g purchased · Whole purchased item: 57 g each (estimated); includes shell, peel, or seeds.
1 egg (large) = 50 g; Large shell-free egg: 50 g, from King Arthur's ingredient weight chart. Large shell eggs; estimated 57 g purchased weight per egg includes shell.
Walmart: Great Value Large White Eggs, 12 Count · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.01
6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.10
2.3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.05
4.9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 9.7 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.04
3.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 6.9 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- paprika: $0.05
3.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 6.8 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Paprika · Price checked 2026-09-21
- parsley: $8.13
60 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (chopped) = 60 g; cut=chopped Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Parsley, 0.5 oz Clamshell · Price checked 2026-09-21
- oregano: $0.26
6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (leaves) = 1 g; texture=leaves Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Oregano Leaves, 0.87 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic: $0.32
18 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
3 clove = 9 g; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Spice World Fresh Peeled Garlic, 6 oz, Pouch · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.71
54 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 216 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- red wine vinegar: $0.38
59.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 239 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Red Wine Vinegar, 12.7 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.01
4.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.10
2.3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- red pepper flakes: $0.05
1.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 1.8 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Crushed Red Pepper, 1.75 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- brussels sprouts: $4.75
680.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Whole Brussels Sprouts 1lb Bag, Fresh Produce · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.11
9.7 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 9.7 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.04
3.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 6.9 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- paprika: $0.05
3.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 6.8 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Paprika · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.18
13.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- red wine vinegar: $0.09
14.9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 14.9 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Red Wine Vinegar, 12.7 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.10
2.3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- red pepper flakes: $0.03
0.9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 1.8 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Crushed Red Pepper, 1.75 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- dry jasmine rice: $0.59
185 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 185 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Jasmine Rice · Price checked 2026-09-21
Not included in this estimate:
- water: Kitchen tap water is excluded from grocery ingredient pricing; this is not a sourced zero price.
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein64.3g28%
- Carbs76.7g34%
- Fat37.8g38%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
Chimichurri is worth treating as a finishing sauce here. Measure the portion that goes into the raw meatball mixture, then keep the remaining sauce separate and refrigerated. Add that finishing portion after reheating if you want the parsley, garlic, and vinegar to stay fresh and punchy. Unlike a typical creamy pesto, this sauce gets its body from herbs and olive oil.
Use a scoop or the same spoon for each meatball so the batch is close in size. Count the finished meatballs into equal groups before adding rice and Brussels sprouts; it is a quick way to avoid uneven servings. The meatballs and sprouts use separate trays, so you can give the vegetables their final browning without overdoing the meat. That is one of the practical advantages of oven-baked meal preps. Oil on the sprouts and space around each piece help those edges turn brown and crisp. Keep an eye on the detached leaves, which can burn while the halves are still coloring.
Remove the sauce cup before heating. For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Turn the meatballs and stir the rice at the pause, then spoon over the reserved chimichurri. A little separation in the cold herb sauce is normal; stir it together before serving. If you enjoy meals that are easy to count into portions, the meatball collection gives you plenty of different sauces to try with that same approach. For other lunches with a substantial vegetable component, the high-fiber collection is another place to look.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
This recipe started with the sauce, not the meatballs. I wanted something herby, punchy, and borderline addictive, then built the meatballs to carry it properly. The result is bold without being heavy and way more interesting than a standard meatball situation. If you’re big on sauces, this one’s worth your time.