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.
Pesto Meatballs in Tomato Sauce & Roasted Fennel
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.
Prep in 10
High protein
4 of 5 a day
Low sat fat
Serving size
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)
Nutritional Information
Calories: 637
Protein: 41g
Carbs: 49g
Fat: 30g
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
Nutritional Information
Calories: 644
Protein: 42g
Carbs: 48g
Fat: 31g
Pesto Meatballs in Tomato Sauce & Roasted Fennel
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.
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Cooking Instructions
- 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.
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