Pesto Meatballs in Tomato Sauce & Roasted Fennel

Serving size

1 person 2 people 4 people

Ingredients

100g passata (use half)
1 handful of fresh chives (use half)
2 tbsp green pesto (use half)

(Rapeseed Oil, Broccoli, Spinach, Broad Beans, Basil, Sunflower Seed, Garlic, Salt, Yeast extract powder (Yeast Extract, Salt), Pumpkin Seeds, Porcini Mushrooms, Kale, Golden Linseeds, Citric Acid, White Quinoa, Ascorbic Acid.)
1 courgette (use half)
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste (use half)

(Tomato Puree, Sundried Tomatoes, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Pine Kernels, Salt)
80g brown rice (use half)

(brown rice (100%))
150g beef mince

(british beef mince (10% fat))
1 fennel (use half)
1 onion (use half)
1 chicken stock cube (use a quarter) (Celery)

(sea salt, potato starch*, sustainable palm oil* , sugar*, chicken fat* 3.5%, yeast extract, natural flavour, chicken meat* 1%, herbs & spices* (turmeric*, black pepper*, parsley*, rosemary*), onion powder*. * Organic ingredient)
2 garlic clove
20g pitted green olives (use half)

Allergens

May Contain: Celery

Nutritional Information

Typical values	per 100g	per portion
Energy	103Kcal	637Kcal
	432kJ	2664kJ
Fat	4.8g	30g
of which saturates	1.4g	8.6g
Carbohydrates	8g	49g
of which sugars	2.5g	15g
Protein	6.6g	41g
Salt	0.45g	2.7g
Fibre	1.5g	9.4g

Ingredients

1 courgette
2 garlic clove
80g brown rice

(brown rice (100%))
100g passata
300g beef mince

(british beef mince (10% fat))
20g pitted green olives
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste

(Tomato Puree, Sundried Tomatoes, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Pine Kernels, Salt)
2 tbsp green pesto

(Rapeseed Oil, Broccoli, Spinach, Broad Beans, Basil, Sunflower Seed, Garlic, Salt, Yeast extract powder (Yeast Extract, Salt), Pumpkin Seeds, Porcini Mushrooms, Kale, Golden Linseeds, Citric Acid, White Quinoa, Ascorbic Acid.)
1 chicken stock cube (use half) (Celery)

(sea salt, potato starch*, sustainable palm oil* , sugar*, chicken fat* 3.5%, yeast extract, natural flavour, chicken meat* 1%, herbs & spices* (turmeric*, black pepper*, parsley*, rosemary*), onion powder*. * Organic ingredient)
1 fennel
1 onion
1 handful of fresh chives

Allergens

May Contain: Celery

Nutritional Information

Typical values	per 100g	per portion
Energy	104Kcal	644Kcal
	436kJ	2695kJ
Fat	4.9g	31g
of which saturates	1.4g	8.9g
Carbohydrates	8g	48g
of which sugars	2.4g	15g
Protein	6.8g	42g
Salt	0.45g	2.8g
Fibre	1.5g	9.3g

Back

Prep in 10 High protein 4 of 5 a day Low sat fat

Pesto Meatballs in Tomato Sauce & Roasted Fennel

Prep time: 0 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Food group: Beef

Grass-fed British beef meatballs, infused with basil pesto and fragrant garlic, simmer in a luscious tomato sauce. You plate them over brown rice to soak up all the delicious juices. Finish with sweet baked fennel, fresh-cut chives and juicy sliced olives. It's a a plate to celebrate.

Cooking Instructions

The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.

As of December 2025, we've revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.

Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.

Preheat the oven to 220C / fan 200C / gas mark 7. Bring a large saucepan filled with salted hot water to a boil. Add the rice and boil for 25-30 mins, until cooked, then drain.
Make the meatballs. Finely chop or crush the garlic. In a bowl, combine the beef with half the pesto, half the garlic, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Mix and form into 10 meatballs. Heat a large frying pan with 1/2 tsp oil on medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 5-7 mins, turning frequently, until golden brown. Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm.
Trim and cut the fennel into 8 wedges. Place onto a lined baking tray and toss with 1/2 tsp oil, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 10-15 mins, until soft and golden.
Thinly slice the courgette into half-moons. Finely dice the onion. Reheat the meatball pan to medium heat. Add the onion and courgette and cook for 4-5 mins. Add the remaining garlic, cook for 1 min, then add the passata, sundried tomato paste and 150ml hot water (75ml for 1 person). Crumble in half the stock cube and stir. Simmer for 8-10 mins, until slightly thickened.
Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce and cook for another 5 mins, until the meatballs are cooked through. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Finely chop the chives. Thinly slice the olives.
Serve the rice and meatballs with the roasted fennel. Garnish with the chives, olives and a drizzle of the remaining pesto.