The Best Chimichurri Meatballs

A plate of meatballs garnished with chopped herbs, arranged around a small bowl of green herb sauce with a spoon. The dish is presented on a white plate with a brown rim.

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The Best Chimichurri Meatballs

These chimichurri meatballs are easy and quick to make with fresh herbs and a tasty hack to add more flavor to your meatballs. Instead of adding lots of seasoning to our meatballs, we use the chimichurri sauce to flavor the meatballs! This saves on ingredients and time.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 382kcal

Author: Mika Kinney

Ingredients

Chimichurri Sauce

1 tablespoon garlic minced
½ jalapeno pepper deseeded, reduce if you don't like spice
½ cup parsley fresh
½ cup cilantro fresh
½ cup mint leaves fresh
⅓ cup avocado oil or olive oil
¼ cup lime juice
1 tablespoon honey or agave
¼ teaspoon salt and pepper each

Meatballs

1 lb ground beef lean beef (90-10) or ground bison
1 egg
⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoon chimichurri sauce from above

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Make the chimichurri sauce by blending 1 tablespoon garlic, ½ jalapeno pepper, ½ cup parsley, ½ cup cilantro ½ cup mint leaves ⅓ cup avocado oil, ¼ cup lime juice 1 tablespoon honey, and ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper in a blender. Alternatively, you can finely mince everything with a knife and then mix it all together.
Make the meatballs in a large bowl by mixing together the 1 lb ground beef, 1 egg, ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoon chimichurri sauce.
Scoop 16 meatballs onto a sheet tray and bake for approximately 20 minutes (or until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees).
Remove the meatballs from the oven and serve them up with the remaining chimichurri sauce on top. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Herb options: I use parsley, mint, and cilantro, but really, as long as you have the mint, basil, or dill, it works too!

Traditional chimichurri sauce finely dices the herbs. This is arguably a better method for consistent texture. However, it takes more time, so I toss everything in a blender or food processor and just blend. What happens with blended though is it becomes a bit frothy, and sometimes the herb stems get wrapped around the blades. This doesn't bother me, but if it does you, chop it finely and mix.

Storage

Fridge: Store the meatballs and sauce separately in airtight containers. They will last for up to 4 days this way.

Freezer: You can freeze the meatballs for up to 3 months.

Meal Prep: I love pairing these meatballs in a lunchable-style box with orzo or roasted potatoes and something sweet, like dark chocolate or cherries.

Nutrition