SPINACH AND FETA TURKEY MEATBALLS
I’ve been a massive fan of meatballs these days. This is the thing I didn’t think I’d ever write about. It’s true. Meatballs are simple, delicious, and filling. And you can prepare them in many ways, including spaghetti and red sauce. This recipe for Spinach and Feta Turkey Meatballs is sauteed with Spinach, which helps add more greens and crumbled feta pieces to add extra flavor and a smoky kick.
CAN I MAKE THESE MEATBALLS WITHOUT BREADCRUMBS?
The quick response is yes. However, they won’t have identical textures. The egg and breadcrumbs make the meatballs soft and moist, as well as glue to hold these meatballs in place. If you leave out the breadcrumbs, you’ll require removingmove the egg. Otherwise, the mix will be too liquid to form. Since the meatballs will be less pliable, they may not be able to withstand cooking in a skillet. I recommend baking them on an oven cookie sheet baked in an oven set at 375oF for approximately 20 minutes. The resultant meatballs will look more akin to the texture of hamburgers and won’t have a nicely browned outside, but they’re delicious. Be aware that you won’t have the same amount of meatballs since you’re using fewer ingredients.
CAN I BAKE THE MEATBALLS?
Yes, you can bake the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet in an oven at 400oF for around 20 minutes. The baking time will vary based on the size of your meatballs, so be sure to break the more giant meatballs open to check if they’ve baked to perfection. Second, if meatballs are baked instead of cooked in a pan, they will not experience the same browning on the surface.
INGREDIENTS
Four oz. fresh Spinach ($1.67)
Two tablespoons olive oil, divided ($0.32)
1 lb. Lean turkey (93 percent of poor) ($4.49)
1 cup of breadcrumbs ($0.24)
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic ($0.02)
Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
One large egg ($0.22)
2 oz. feta in a crumbled form ($0.83)
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the Spinach roughly. A large skillet is heated to medium. Add one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped Spinach and some salt. Sauté the Spinach until it is fully wilted. Please remove it from the flame.
While the Spinach is cooking in the pan, mix with the garlic powder, breadcrumbs, freshly cracked black pepper (5 six cranks or more of a mill), and salt in an enormous bowl. Whisk the egg lightly and then add the egg-cooked Spinach, ground turkey, and feta crumbled to the bowl along with the breadcrumbs. Make use of your hands to mix all the ingredients until well combined.
Make the mixture of meat into balls, roughly one heaping tablespoon each. There should be about 24 meatballs.
Clean out the skillet that was used for cooking the Spinach. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and then heat the pan on medium. When the skillet is heated, swirl the fat around the skillet until the surface is well-coated, and then add the meatballs in half. The meatballs will cook for 1 minute to 2 minutes and an hour on each side until the meatballs have been brown and cooked (about 6-8 minutes). Transfer the meatballs that have been cooked to a clean bowl and repeat with the next batch.
Serve the meatballs cooked in your preferred sauce with rice, pasta, or roast vegetables.
