Spinach and Feta Meatballs

These Spinach and Feta Meatballs are based off a recipe I originally found via Pinterest a while back. We tweak them just a little bit. They are easy to whip up and are a nice change from your average meatball. Plus added bonus you get some veggies in them.

Next Thursday I'll be posting the easy weeknight risotto we made to go with these last week.

I start with a pound of beef. We've used turkey before too but beef seems to turn out moister. You could use any ground meat you have on hand though and I think they would turn out just fine.


This is one of those recipes that has been very forgiving when we different things on hand. For the spinach I have done everything from using less just because I didn't have enough on hand to throwing in the fresh spinach leaves without steaming first because I just didn't want to take the time or energy to do it. I will say that the consistency does seem to be better if you steam it. I usually just put it in a bowl with a little water, cover and pop it in the microwave until it is slightly steamed. Then drain the water off and throw it in. You could also use frozen spinach thawed and drained.



Ingredients

1 (5oz.) bag fresh spinach, steamed, drained, and cooled

1 lb. ground beef (or chicken, turkey, etc.)

¾ cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1 Tablespoons chicken broth (can sub water)

⅛ cup dried cranberries (I really like these so I add some extra sometimes - we've also used less)

2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 small onion: VERY finely diced or equivalent onion powder

1 teaspoon oregano

¾ cup Feta cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Gently mix all ingredients together until well combined. Then roll into balls or use a scooper to form balls and place on the baking sheet. (We cover with foil for easy clean up)

You can place meatballs in the fridge to get cool before placing in the oven like the original recipe suggests, but often I go ahead and put them straight in.

I cook for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through (this will depend on size of your meatballs). If you can rotate halfway through the cooking time go for it, most of the time I don't. :)