Oh my, these little toasty balls of baked spinach, ricotta, breadcrumbs, herbs and spices are a dangerous thing! It’s really hard to eat just one of them so accept that now, ok? These little nuggets are for snacking enjoyment. They can be served as an appetizer with toothpicks and dipping sauce like marinara, or for a heartier meal they make a yummy vegetarian substitution for meatballs with spaghetti. I imagine that much like a falafel they would also be good thrown onto a salad or in a wrap.
All the mixing, scooping, and rolling perfect of these little balls can be a little bit time-consuming, but thankfully they freeze really well. You can make a big batch, put them in a ziplock bag in your freezer and when you are in need some some tasty spheres of goodness just toss them in the oven and they’ll be ready in no time flat.
Baked Spinach Balls
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Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 50 mins
An excellent appetizer to serve with dipping sauce, or a delicious vegetarian substitution for meatballs in spaghetti.
Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Italian cheese (I used a blend of Asiago, Parmesan, Fontina, and Mild Provolone from TJ’s but any 1 of those would work well alone)
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs, plus a little more for rolling
4 eggs (I used 12 TB of egg whites to cut some calories)
1/2 tsp dried oregano, or 1 TB fresh
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt, black pepper and chili flakes to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. This mixture should be sticky enough so that when pinched together it holds its shape. If it’s too wet, add more breadcrumbs until desired consistency is reached.
Scoop mixture by tablespoon and form into a ball, roll ball in additional breadcrumbs, and place on a foil lined pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning every 15 mins.
Notes
Makes about 30 balls.
Nutrition per ball (using egg whites): 47 calories / 5 g carbs / 1 g fat / 3 g protein
Oh my, these little toasty balls of baked spinach, ricotta, breadcrumbs, herbs and spices are a dangerous thing! It’s really hard to eat just one of them so accept that now, ok? These little nuggets are for snacking enjoyment. They can be served as an appetizer with toothpicks and dipping sauce like marinara, or for a heartier meal they make a yummy vegetarian substitution for meatballs with spaghetti. I imagine that much like a falafel they would also be good thrown onto a salad or in a wrap.
All the mixing, scooping, and rolling perfect of these little balls can be a little bit time-consuming, but thankfully they freeze really well. You can make a big batch, put them in a ziplock bag in your freezer and when you are in need some some tasty spheres of goodness just toss them in the oven and they’ll be ready in no time flat.
Makes about 30 balls.
Nutrition per ball (using egg whites): 47 calories / 5 g carbs / 1 g fat / 3 g protein
Recipe adapted from: http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/12/vegetarian-meatballs/