I like putting spinach with ground beef – burgers, meat loaf and, now, meatballs.
It only takes an extra minute or two and I don’t have to bother with another vegetable.
Plus I can justify eating more meatballs and that’s always a good thing.
About the meatballs…. I have discovered that If I put the whole lot on a plate, divide it (roughly) into fourths, then make 4 meatballs out of each fourth I get 16 relatively uniform meatballs that are a nice size for a pasta dish.
Just so you know….
Spinach Meatballs & Spaghetti
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 12oz (360gr) ground beef
- 7oz (200gr) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
- 2 tbs dried breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
- 2 tbs ketchup
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- Sauce:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 4oz, (120gr) mushrooms, chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 cups (8oz, 240gr) tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup (8oz, 240gr) tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) beef stock
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 4oz (125gr) spaghetti
Instructions:
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain
- Meatballs:
- In medium bowl lightly beat the egg with a fork.
- Add remaining ingredients, except spinach and beef; mix well.
- Add beef, spinach and mix well
- Form into meatballs, about 1″ (2.5cm) in diameter.
- Sauce:
- In large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add paprika, garlic, mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes longer.
- Add the tomatoes, sauce, stock and heat to simmering.
- When simmering add the meatballs, being careful that they don’t touch.
- Cover and continue to simmer until meatballs are done, stirring and turning the meatballs once or twice, about 15 minutes..
- To serve spoon meatballs and sauce over spaghetti.
You can even sneak vegetables into reluctant eaters with this dish.
I’ve been off playing again….
This time we toured a local winery.
Believe it or not, I live in the greatest wine country in the world (or so I’m told) and I rarely set foot in a winery. I’ve visited more wineries in Spain than I have in France.
But I don’t live in Spain…..
We always ignore, or put off until later, what is in our own backyard.
Shame, isn’t it?
This is my favourite sort of meal….Popeye would approve !
It’s important to keep up one’s strength!
Love spaghetti and meatballs. One of my favorite dishes 🙂
We have two award winning wineries near us that I’d never even heard of until we moved out here. We live a bit less than 50 miles from our old house. I love wine. I should have known! I have been to both and they’re pretty neat to tour. Sad I didn’t know though.
We need to remember to see the local stuff. It’s so easy to put off when it’s close. As to the meatballs – I could make them every night and the hubs would be happy.
We love spinach; never thought of putting it with ground beef. Great idea! I’m going to try this. Curious about the addition of mustard; first time I’ve seen that in a meatball recipe.
Gloria, I had mustard to just about everything – I think it adds a nice, subtle flavor. Besides, I love it lol