I first made these spinach balls over 20 years ago and here I am making them again because they are awesome.
Actually, I sort of forgot about them, which is weird because it’s not for lack of greatness. Does that ever happen to anyone else? Something sparks your memory of a food and you say, “Hey, remember that? That were good. Why has it been so long since I’ve made it?” Of course there is no good answer, so you just move on with life until you think about it again.
These spinach balls may not be the prettiest looking but they sure are delicious. Picture the filling of a spinach pie (spanakopita), shape the filling into convenient bite size balls and that’s what you’ve got here.
I’m not a fan of making meatballs or any kind of balls that you have to roll and fry because it tends to be a pain, but these spinach balls aren’t as finicky to make compared to many other recipes. You don’t need a lot of ingredients and they come together pretty quickly. You don’t use a lot of oil so it’s not as messy to make and they’re more healthy.
The recipe is just for the spinach balls, the stuff you decide to enjoy them with is on you. I wanted to enjoy them as a meal, so I made them with orzo, cucumber yogurt dip (tzatziki) (but without the cucumber because I didn’t have any), Mediterranean salad, and feta cheese. These also work as appetizers for a crowd and in fact, my husband said that he prefers them as an appetizer (next to a bowl of yogurt dip or hummus). I love how versatile these green vegetarian balls are. How would you enjoy them?
Spinach Balls (Spanakokeftedes) Recipe
(Makes about 14 little balls)
Ingredients:
- 1 package (10 ounce package) frozen chopped spinach
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
- Add the bread crumbs to a small bowl and set it aside
- Thaw the spinach and drain/squish out the water really well.
- In a medium bowl, add the spinach, melted butter, grated Parmesan cheese, crumbled feta cheese, dill, salt, pepper, and slightly beaten egg and mix everything together.
- Take the spinach mixture and roll them into 1 inch balls. I use a small Oxo cookie scoop to help portion each ball consistently.
- Roll each ball into the bread crumbs.
- In a large skillet, on medium heat, heat the oil. Then add the prepared spinach balls to the skillet and cook them until golden brown, turning each ball several times to cook all sides.
- Place the cooked spinach balls on a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
- Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.
Adapted from: Opaa! Greek Cooking New York Style
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