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Hi Everyone,

I just have to share this. I posted this experiment to my Facebook page and received so many questions and comments, that I decided to post it to the blog.

Last Sunday when my husband was watching the Super Bowl, I decided to spend my time in the kitchen and cook. (You guessed it, I am not a football fan).

For those of you that remember my post back in December for my rice balls; you know how thrilled I was with my new gadget.

So, on Sunday I was thinking, since I liked the rice balls so much, can I make a stuffed meatball with the rice ball maker? And the experiment began….

I put together my meatball mixture, added some chopped spinach and shredded some mozzarella cheese on the side to use for the stuffing.

Diane tip: Before shredding, put the mozzarella cheese in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to shred and not get stuck in the box grater.

So far, so good.

I sprayed the bottom cup of the gadget with cooking spray so the meat mixture wouldn’t stick and then filled the cup. I made a well in the meat and filled it with shredded mozzarella.

Added some more meat on top to form the ball and it was done.

I set up the usual breading station, breaded all the meatballs and let them rest for 5 minutes.

This time there was no deep frying involved. I baked the meatballs to make sure that the meat cooked all the way through.

Once they were done, I cut it open and we had a WINNER. Gooey, hot melted cheese mixed with the meatball and spinach.

Bob and I loved them and I wanted to share the recipe.

If you don’t have a rice ball maker, you can easily make small meatballs like this by hand. Enjoy

Stuffed Spinach Meatballs

Using the Rice Ball Maker 

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Ground turkey or beef

1 small onion, diced (shallots can be substituted)

Seasoned breadcrumbs

Grated cheese

Salt & Pepper

No salt organic seasoning

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp. Fresh parsley

Fresh mozzarella, diced in small cubes or shredded 

1 egg, lightly beaten for meat mixture

10 oz. pkg. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained*

Diane tip:* To drain spinach completely—after package is thawed, place spinach in a dishtowel and ring the towel out and release all the liquid.

2 tbsp. olive oil for cookie sheet

For the Breading:

3 eggs lightly beaten

Breadcrumbs – (I mixed homemade and panko)

Water

Procedure:

In a large bowl, mix seasoned breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic, onion, no salt seasoning, salt and pepper ……

ADD ground meat, Worcestershire sauce and 1 slightly beaten egg. ADD the drained spinach and gently mix the meat and seasonings –do not overwork the meat

Using the rice ball maker…

Either use cooking spray or brush bottom cup with olive oil to prevent the meat from sticking

Fill the bottom container with the meat mixture

Make a well in the meatball and insert either mozzarella cubes or shredded mozzarella

Add meat on top to close the ball, invert and place on a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper.

(If the meat sticks when removing the ball, run a butter knife around the cup to loosen the meat)

Complete forming all the meatballs before the next step

In the 1st breading tray mix 3 slightly beaten eggs with a few tbsp. of water (add additional salt and pepper if desired)

2^nd breading tray, mix breadcrumbs (I use plain and panko) and add additional grated cheese if desired.

Dip the meatballs in breadcrumbs, egg mixture and then BACK to breadcrumbs and place on a cookie sheet drizzled with olive oil. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees

I baked the first side for 15 minutes, flipped the meatballs and baked for an additional 10 minutes

If you use grass fed beef shorten the baking time. Grass fed beef has less fat and will dry out.

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 I hope you give this recipe a try… If you participate in Lent as I do, you might have to wait awhile.

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Diane

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