There’s something about a freshly made batch of meatballs swimming in a homemade
sauce that can turn any day around. Especially these meatballs, because they require very few ingredients, are simple to pull off, and sneak in added nutrition your family won’t even know is there. I’m talking about spinach — that’s right, spinach! Throw this recipe into your weekly rotation and you’ll have at least one night free of the “dinnertime scaries” on nights when you can’t figure out what to cook so you contemplate leftovers, frozen food, take-out or running away from your family. Trust me, this meal will please even the pickiest eaters and I know this because I live with them. Make it tonight and save the emergency
pizza hotline for another day.
Parmesan Spinach Meatballs with Homemade Marinara
Serves: Makes about 20 meatballs
Time to Prep: 15 minutes
Time to Cook: 25 minutes
Meatball Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup panko
10 ounce frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 eggs
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Marinara Ingredients:
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Step 1: In a large bowl, add meatball ingredients and combine together using a large fork or your hands.
Step 2: Scoop out about 1/4 cup of mixture and form into two-inch balls, placing them on plate or baking sheet. Put in the fridge for 20 minutes, allowing them to set.
Step 3: Ten minutes after meatballs are in fridge, heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and heat for a minute or so, until garlic starts to brown. Add can of tomatoes and seasoning, and simmer sauce for about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add meatballs to simmering sauce, and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring the meatballs about halfway through to make sure they’re all coated in sauce. Serve over pasta or as meatball sandwiches and enjoy!
Siri Daly is a Today show tastemaker and author of Siriously Delicious: 100 Nutritious (and Not So Nutritious) Simple Recipes for the Real Home Cook.
