Meatball night is a big deal at my house. Kensington loves meatballs and I love them because I hide all sorts of veggies inside.
On this night, I made a side of pasta for the kids (because Smith loves pasta) and Andrew and I ate our meatballs with a big side salad. You could totally prepare this Spaghetti and Meatball style or use these guys as an appetizer too. My pound of ground beef produced 10 large meatballs but the size of them is up to you…make them mini, make them large, just make them.
Shopping List
1 pound ground beef
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Panko (which are Japanese breadcrumbs but feel free to substitute with your favorite breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 box of frozen spinach, defrosted and with all of the excess water squeezed out
1/2 cup of pesto (I used store bought but you could make your own)
2 eggs, beaten
2 splashes milk
Salt and Pepper
1-2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Spaghetti Sauce for dipping or drizzling on top, optional
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, garlic, Panko, cheese, spinach, pesto, eggs and milk. Add in just a pinch of salt and pepper. Roll into balls (I do golf ball size) and place on a lightly greased baking sheet (I always line with foil for easy clean up!). Drizzle EVOO over all of the meatballs. Roast in the oven about 20 minutes or until brown.
Remove from oven and either toss with your favorite pasta, serve on toothpicks as appetizers and simply enjoy with a big side salad. Meatball night is a must.
josiem says
Do you think you could turn these into burgers? Sound delicious but my kids are more likely to eat burgers than meatballs.
Mix and Match Mama says
Totally! Grill them up and call them a burger!
The Goldmans says
These are so delicious. Do you think you could make them ahead of time and bring them to room temperature before baking? Will they stay in the fridge over night?
Mix and Match Mama says
Totally make them in advance! I would just pop them in the hot oven cold and bake them a few minutes extra.
Melissa H. says
Will very lean ground beef work for these?
Mix and Match Mama says
Of course! We only use very lean ground beef! Enjoy!
Diane says
My husband absolutely loved these! He said they tasted like they were made at a fine restaurant–sure, hon, MY restaurant! Thanks for this recipe–and I hid the spinach in there too!
Amanda Brezgel says
We love these meatballs! Thanks for sharing your recipe. Can't wait to make more of your pesto recipes!!!
Ariane says
Oh my, I made these last night and couldn't stop talking about how good they were! Right up my alley and so delicious.
Melissa H. says
I made these. They are so good! I got 20 meatballs from the recipe, enough for four meals for my husband and me. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda Garcia says
Hi Shay!
I have some pesto to use up (but already have dinner planned for this week!) I'm thinking these would freeze ok….but do you think so?
Thanks!
Mix and Match Mama says
You can totally freeze these!!
Ila Mariee says
I was scrolling through your blog as I do every day 🙂 and came across these! Lets just say they are amazing !! So delicious and also simple to make. Thank you so much xoxoxo
Sarah says
These meatballs have been in regular rotation at my house. We use ground turkey instead. An easy and delicious low carb dish – great for the New Year's resolution to lose weight!
Stephanie Ginn says
Love all your meatball recipes but these take the cake! I used ground chicken and they were so so good! Thank you for this one!!