July 8, 2009

Spinach Balls

Spinach balls are another item from our recent tapas night.  My mom has been making these tasty little suckers for years, and you can count on them making an appearance at most, if not all, of our holiday dinners.  They go over well with spinach-eaters and non-spinach-eaters alike.  They're also pretty foolproof, so go ahead and make a batch soon.

Ingredients:
2 boxes chopped spinach, cooked and well drained
2 cups (unprepared) Pepperidge Farm dressing mix
1 large onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups melted butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp pepper

Recipe x 4 = 75 walnut-size balls
Recipe x 3 = 37 larger balls 

Here's what I used for dressing mix.  I'm pretty sure this is what my mom uses, too.  I've used breadcrumbs before, but I like the results better with this stuff.  Even when the expiration date is 5 months ago.  


I typically use boxes of frozen spinach, but Trader Joe's only has bags.  A bag is 16oz., and a box is 10oz.  You do the math.  


Thaw the spinach in the microwave or on the stove, and then get out as much moisture as you can.  This step is really important if you want your balls to be balls instead of lumps.*  Just a tip, straining spinach in a mesh strainer leads to a rather laborious cleanup.  I would not recommend it.  


Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.  


This picture makes me want to eat a spinach and feta omelet with some wheat toast.  


Speaking of feta, I decided to do a little experimenting this time around.  Instead of adding the cheese right away, I combined all of the other ingredients and then divided the mixture into two bowls.  


Bowl one got a healthy dose of parmesan.  


Bowl two got feta.  I like to just eyeball the amount of cheese I add to spinach balls.  That way I can be blissfully unaware of the actual degree of unhealthiness.  You should probably do the same.  


If you're making appetizers, form the mixture into walnut-size balls.  Or apricot-size.  Or egg-size.  Somewhere around there.  If you're making them as a side dish, make them larger.  Think of a small apple or a scoop of ice cream.  

A single batch should fit into a 9"x13" baking dish.  I can never remember if I grease the dish or not.  I'm thinking that I do.  

Also, if you realize that you didn't squeeze enough moisture out of the spinach and your mixture is a little soupy, you can squeeze it out when you're shaping the balls.  


Bake small balls at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (longer for larger balls) or freeze for later.  It's not every day that I get to write a sentence like that.  


After 20 minutes, they should be starting to brown a bit and they're good to go.  It's not going to ruin them if they're a little overdone, but don't let them get too done.  Nobody likes dried out spinach balls.  Nobody. 


I'm sure you all are wondering which balls were my favorite - the feta or the parmesan.  While they were both delicious, I'm going to have to go with the traditional parmesan.  Feta just doesn't melt like other cheese, so it wasn't quite the same.  I think I'm going to keep experimenting with other cheeses, though.  Maybe a little swiss or provolone.  Anyone have any other ideas? 


*TWSS

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