My family has a traditional Italian version of this spinach ball recipe that uses bread crumb. I made this recipe gluten friendly as well as a little healthier by swapping the bread out for quinoa. These spinach balls are a delicious snack on their own. I have spinach ball soup, the way my family would serve them, as a serving suggestion.
This recipe can be altered by adding a different type of cheese or seasoning if desired. Some of the spinach could be subbed for artichoke and add fetta rather than Romano. If you want to make it dairy free instead of cheese add some nutritional yeast for flavor.
40 oz frozen spinach (2 cups thawed)
1 cup quinoa cooked and cooled
1 cup grated Romano cheese
3 medium cloves of garlic
1 TBS olive oil
2 tsp parsley chopped
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 egg
Pre-heat oven to 350*. Strain and squeeze spinach to remove excess water. Very finely chop garlic and parsley. Mix all ingredients. You can test a small pinch by baking it off in the oven to insure you have enough seasoning. Roll into about 1” balls and place on greased baking sheet lined in aluminum foil or parchment paper. Bake until the outside begins to brown and inside is at least 165*. Turn tray halfway through for more even cooking. It will take about 30 minutes to cook. Be careful not to overcook them because the chia seeds will get overly crispy on the outside.
Serving suggestion- Spinach ball chicken soup
This recipe can be altered by adding a different type of cheese or seasoning if desired. Some of the spinach could be subbed for artichoke and add fetta rather than Romano. If you want to make it dairy free instead of cheese add some nutritional yeast for flavor.
40 oz frozen spinach (2 cups thawed)
1 cup quinoa cooked and cooled
1 cup grated Romano cheese
3 medium cloves of garlic
1 TBS olive oil
2 tsp parsley chopped
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 egg
Pre-heat oven to 350*. Strain and squeeze spinach to remove excess water. Very finely chop garlic and parsley. Mix all ingredients. You can test a small pinch by baking it off in the oven to insure you have enough seasoning. Roll into about 1” balls and place on greased baking sheet lined in aluminum foil or parchment paper. Bake until the outside begins to brown and inside is at least 165*. Turn tray halfway through for more even cooking. It will take about 30 minutes to cook. Be careful not to overcook them because the chia seeds will get overly crispy on the outside.
Serving suggestion- Spinach ball chicken soup