Spinach and beef meatballs are a delicious variation on traditional meatballs. So good and easy to make.
From the recipe collection of Al Dente Diva
Spinach and Beef Meatballs
Im from a primarily Italian community in a very small town in Northern New Jersey. I don’t mean to brag or anything but we know our meatballs and sauce, too, for that matter.
That said, I’ve made a lot of meatballs in my life. Making slight changes ever not now and then to switch things up a little nothing too drastic though.
For example, sometimes I’ll sauté the onion and garlic, other times I’ll purée it and make a paste. There have even been times that I’ve used onion and garlic powder instead of the real thing.
It’s about time I made something different!
Something Different
When I opened my fridge to grab the usual meatball making ingredients I saw a bag of spinach I had gotten from the grocery store.
I took it out to make it as a side. Then thought maybe I’d including the spinach into the actual meatballs themselves. Why not?
Could be great. It would be something different at the very least.
I’m so glad I decided to go out of the box and try something new. I loved it!
Even my picky 2 year old ate these spinach meatballs like it was nothing. He didn’t even care about the “green stuff”.
If you’re in the mood for a little change, I hope that you give this one a try.
Ingredients:
- Ground Beef
- Spinach (fresh or frozen)
- Egg
- Seasoned Breadcrumbs
- Milk
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, & Italian seasoning
- Olive oil
- Fresh Garlic
- Onion
- Tomato Sauce
How To Do It:
First, Sauté the spinach in olive oil with a little chopped onion & garlic. Season with salt & pepper.
Next, warm the tomato sauce. Use whatever you normally do for pasta/ meatballs.
But if you need a recipe, here’s my families homemade Basic Italian Tomato Sauce Recipe.
Now let the spinach cool slightly. Then, in a large bowl, add the beef, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
I get asked often about my food prep gloves. CLICK HERE to see them on Amazon.
Now mix it until it’s well combined. Don’t over mix though. The meatballs will be too tough and dense if you do that.
Next roll the mixture into little spinach meatballs.
Place the meatballs into either an oven safe skillet or baking dish with the tomato sauce.
Then bake them at 350° for about 45 minutes.
Finally finished. Don’t they look awesome?!
Let theses spinach meatballs cool slightly before eating them.
Spinach was an awesome addition to my already delicious meatballs. Can’t wait to try it again. This was a really nice way to switch it up.
I love to use gloves when mixing meat. I’ve has a bunch of shades of pink but this ones my favorite so far. Click the image of the gloves to see them on Amazon.
I hope you like this one.
💜 Al Dente Diva
SPINACH AND BEEF MEATBALLS
Equipment
- large oven safe skillet or baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 1 Large Bag Fresh Spinach
- 1 Large Egg
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Tbs Chopped onion
- 1 Cup Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
- 1/4 Cup Milk
- 2 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1 Tbs each Garlic Powder, Onion powder, Italian seasoning.
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 Jar Tomato Sauce Or homemade sauce
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté the spinach in olive oil, chopped garlic & chopped onion. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Once the spinach is wilted, set it aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl add the beef, egg, and breadcrumbs.
- Pour the milk over the breadcrumbs and let them soften up.
- Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder. (About 1 tbs of each)
- Season with salt and pepper. (I don’t love giving our measurements for these because people tend to have different preferences).
- Add the cooked spinach and mix until just combined.
- Form into medium sized meatballs.
- Add the tomato sauce to a large skillet or baking dish.
- Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Just enough sauce so the meatballs are covered.
- Bake at 350° for about 45 mInutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Garnish with parsley.
Video
Notes
Also, I will chop the spinach into smaller pieces next time just to spread it throughout more evenly. Last thing, dont over mix the meatballs. They will be very dense if you mix it too much.
About Al Dente Diva
Tara Ippolito is a self taught home cook from New Jersey and cookbook author of Fast, Simple, Delicious. Better known as “T” across social media, she makes easy to follow recipes using familiar ingredients. T uses her Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest channels to share recipes and cooking tips for everyday people. Her motivation to share with her followers is simple. To inspire people to cook and become more comfortable in the kitchen.
As a wife and busy mother of two little boys she she’s always cooking fast family friendly meals. Sharing her kitchen with others that want to learn is a true passion of hers. As her social media platforms continue to grow she is committed to delivering consistently delicious content to her followers.
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