By Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- 30 to 40 minutes
- Rating
- 5(384)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Before you use herbs as a main ingredient — it helps to know which ones work on a grand scale. Parsley, obviously, works in abundance: it’s clean-tasting, pleasantly grassy and almost never overwhelming. You can add literally a bunch (bunches!) of it to salad, soup, eggs, pasta, grains or beans. The same is largely true of basil, and you can use other mild herbs — chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, shiso — by at least the handful. (Mint is also useful but will easily take over a dish if you add too much of it. But all of these are great for making herb pastes, or pestos, alone or in combination. Use the same technique you use for basil pesto.)
Featured in: Pasta With Meatballs and Herb Sauce
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2cups finely chopped fresh basil
- ½cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½cup finely chopped fresh chives
- 1thin slice white bread
- ¼cup milk
- ½pound ground sirloin, pork or lamb or a mixture
- Salt
- black pepper
- 6tablespoons olive oil
- 1pound pasta
- 1garlic clove
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
750 calories; 31 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 89 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 549 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Mix together the basil, parsley and chives. Soak the bread in the milk for 5 minutes, then gently squeeze any excess milk from the bread; discard the milk. Combine the bread with the meat, 1 cup of the herbs and some salt and pepper; shape the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
Step
2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs in a single layer (work in batches if necessary). Cook, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes.
Step
3
Cook the pasta in the boiling water until tender but not mushy. While the pasta is cooking, purée 1½ cups of the herbs with 4 tablespoons oil, the garlic and some salt and pepper in a mini food processor or blender; leave the sauce rough or add a little water if you want it smoother. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of its cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the herb sauce and most of the remaining herbs, adding the reserved liquid if the mixture seems dry. Top with the meatballs, garnish with Parmesan and the last of the herbs and serve.
Ratings
5
out of 5
384
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Cooking Notes
Caitlin
Made this and it was delicious. Added in more garlic (two big cloves of pink French garlic) so it had a nice bite to it. I'd double the meatball recipe if you have men in the family. We went through meatballs well before the pasta.
SLPD00D
This was absolutely delicious. Perfect for when you have a lot of basil to harvest. Very herby meal.
Tossed the cooked pasta in the leftover meatball greasy hot pan to give it a little extra life.
Steve
Some mixed feelings about this recipe. I liked the herbaciousness, and the flavor that come out in the meatballs was really good. Some advice that others have already alluded to or mentioned: 1) meatball portions are extremely low, I'd have about a quarter lb a person, at least, 2) meatballs didn't hold together well (maybe an egg for binding would help?) so I had a lot of meat/herbs left in the pan - rather than wasting that I drained out grease and deglazed with some pasta water.
John Taylor
This is a wonderful way to put a burgeoning herb garden to use. You may substitute 1/4 cup panko and 3 tbs milk for the panade. The meatballs can also be cooked in a 400 degree oven for about 20 mins, but I agree with another commenter about tossing everything together in the meatball fond. You will get requests to make this again.
Jeff Blum
I have an idea: add some pine nuts and Parmesan cheese and your suddenly back to pesto land.
Kay Kay
Great use for the bounty of herbs in my garden. Chopped all the parsley and chives with a little oregano and then added half to an abundance of chopped mint for ground lamb meatballs. To the other half, added an abundance of chopped basil for the pesto sauce. It all came together beautifully.
PNW Cooker
Fantastic
elly
I added an egg, some breadcrumbs and a little parmesan to my meatballs. Came out great! love the light sauce but honestly, I'd double the herbs to get it to fully cover 1lb of pasta. Next time will add some broccoli rabe to the herb sauce as well.
Sarah
Loooooovvvvve this! I made double the meat for my family of 4. Added red pepper flakes on the adults bowls. So so good!!
Alice Kaiser
this is an outstanding recipe. Any combination of fresh green herbs works fine. I had mostly parsley, some basil and chives, and a bit of mint, adding up to the 2 1/2 cups called for, Added chopped walnuts to the meatballs. 1 lb. of meat, rolled into 1" balls and cooked in hottish oven, to about 3/4 lb. pasta.
Emilee
This was a wonderfully fresh tasting dish! If you’re looking for a simple, pallet pleasing pasta sauce then this is for you. The recipe calls for lamb, but this recipe would pair well with turkey, beef, or chicken as well. Next time I make the dish, I’ll double the amount of sauce since I didn’t have enough for leftovers.
Rita
This was simple and delicious! I used whatever herbs I had on hand (mint, basil, parsley, thyme, cilantro). I made the meat eater’s version of the meatballs but also made a vegetarian “meatball” for my daughter using Beyond Meat. I was worried they wouldn’t hold up but they were fine when cooked. The herb sauce is also great on grilled chicken. And leftover meatballs were eaten as a late night nibble, topped with a hot curry sauce.
Natasha
Used ground chicken breast and finished the meatballs off in a simple tomato sauce (plum tomatoes, garlic, olive oil) and they were perfect! Will make again.
Ayako
I used 1 lb of meatloaf mixture (beef, pork & veal), and put pine nuts in both meatballs and pesto sauce.
Mariale
Extremely easy to make. Definitely double the amount of meat (although I didn’t double the amount of herbs). Very tasty!
John Taylor
This is a wonderful way to put a burgeoning herb garden to use. You may substitute 1/4 cup panko and 3 tbs milk for the panade. The meatballs can also be cooked in a 400 degree oven for about 20 mins, but I agree with another commenter about tossing everything together in the meatball fond. You will get requests to make this again.
John Taylor
For lamb meatballs add two cloves minced garlic to the meatball mixture and a good deal of black pepper. To the herb sauce add the zest and juice of one lemon, along with 1 oz grated parmesan cheese; do not under salt. Meatballs can be held in the oven at 200 - 250 F for up to 30 minutes. This is a great recipe for a burgeoning herb garden and you can be creative based on the type of meat used. I plan to use PSRT for pork.
Jim McKinley
Never mind the pasta and pasta sauce; the meatballs are great. Double the recipe for four and you'll have a few left over.
Emily
Agree with others - made a pound of ground beef’s worth of meatballs. Don’t be shy about the herbs! I also added some spinach to the pesto for body, lemon zest, and one small clove of garlic. Great way to use up leftover herbs from other recipes.
Kay Kay
Great use for the bounty of herbs in my garden. Chopped all the parsley and chives with a little oregano and then added half to an abundance of chopped mint for ground lamb meatballs. To the other half, added an abundance of chopped basil for the pesto sauce. It all came together beautifully.
Doug
Delicious! I used lots of fresh parsley, some cilantro, and a few leaves of mint.
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