Healthy Spinach Chicken Meatballs Recipe
These Healthy Spinach Chicken Meatballs are a nutritious and flavorful twist on classic meatballs, incorporating fresh spinach, herbs, and cheeses for a deliciously moist and tender bite. Perfect for a wholesome family meal, they bake to golden perfection and can be enjoyed on their own, over pasta, or in a sub sandwich.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 15 meatballs
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
Meatball Mixture
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 cups finely chopped spinach (measure after chopping, almost a whole 5-ounce container)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs (can substitute regular breadcrumbs or gluten free ground oats)
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside to prepare for baking the meatballs.
- Prepare Ingredients: Chop the spinach, fresh parsley, red onion, and mince the garlic cloves. Measure out the breadcrumbs, parmesan and feta cheeses, salt, and pepper. Lightly beat the egg to incorporate into the mixture later.
- Mix Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the ground chicken. Stir in the chopped spinach, parsley, garlic, red onion, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, salt, and pepper until well combined. Finally, add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly so the mixture binds together well.
- Form Meatballs: Using your hands, scoop out portions of the mixture and roll them into meatballs about 1.5 inches in diameter. Repeat this process until all the mixture is used, producing approximately 15 uniform meatballs.
- Bake Meatballs: Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Place the sheet on the center rack of the oven and bake the meatballs for 25 to 30 minutes. Flip them halfway through cooking to ensure they brown evenly. Meatballs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F and are lightly browned.
- Serve and Enjoy: These meatballs can be served alone with your favorite dipping sauce, over pasta tossed with olive oil and parmesan, inside a meatball sub, or as part of a grain bowl or salad for a wholesome meal.
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Notes
- You can substitute regular breadcrumbs or gluten-free ground oats if you prefer instead of Panko.
- Ensure meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F for safe eating.
- For a dairy-free version, omit the parmesan and feta cheeses and adjust seasoning accordingly.
- Leftover meatballs can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
- Use a meat thermometer for best accuracy in cooking doneness.
