Spinach and Ricotta “Meat”-balls

Have you ever had a meal or bought something from the store and thought to yourself, “I should learn how to make that”.

A few months ago, I was shopping and found a new frozen meal that became a fave – Spinach and ricotta “meatballs” with linguine. It was so tasty! And since it’s meatless, I was surprised and happy to know it was just as filling, with lots of flavor. So good, I knew I needed to find an easy recipe to make this on my own.

It’s been a while since I tried a new recipe, so I went to the store, bought the ingredients, and gave it a go.

From beginning to end, it took about 90 minutes. But I was also pausing to document this process, so most likely it will only take 45 minutes-1 hour, maybe more if you decide to bake instead of frying, and/or make your own sauce.

Here’s what I used:

1 cup of fresh spinach (you can also used frozen but thaw it out)

1 cup of ricotta cheese

4 eggs

1.5 cups of Italian breadcrumbs

1 cup of grated Parmesan (grating the cheese yourself is probably best, but oh well!)

1 tablespoon of fresh oregano

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons of olive oil (for cooking)

 

Step by step…

– Chop the spinach and oregano.

– Mix in bread crumbs, cheeses

– Add eggs.

In one recipe I saw, the list called for garlic powder, onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, etc. I included a few shakes of garlic powder, salt, and pepper, but you are free to do whatever you like.

After you assemble all the ingredients, make sure the consistency is good enough to form.  Feel free to add more bread crumbs if you need to.

I was able to make 34 balls, but depending on the size you prefer, it can vary from 16-40.

Heat your pan to medium, pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place balls in pan, let them brown and firm up.

Baking is also an option. If you do, the balls need to be in the oven for 35-40 minutes, turning them every 15. Just like you would do if you were cooking regular meatballs. I’ll probably do that next time so I don’t have to stand at the stove.

While I fried my last batch, I boiled up some linguine and heated the sauce.  So everything would be nice and hot when I plated everything together. You can use whatever pasta you like.

Verdict: So yummy! Still filling. Mum and brother #1 tasted them and they liked it. (Yahhhs!) I used four balls, but I’ll be saving the rest for busy days when I need to pack a lunch.

Do you think I’ll be buying the frozen meal anymore? NOPE!

Want to include a filling meatless dish for yourself, family, or guests in your repertoire? Check this one out.

Recipe adapted from Macheesmo and The Dough Will Rise Again.