Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Baked Meatballs

My friend Holly recommended this recipe to me, saying they were super easy since you just have to bake the meatballs instead of cooking them in a skillet. I normally bake my meatballs anyway, especially when making them to freeze with sauce, but I have never thought to make them in a mini-muffin tin! I was a little worried about all the fat that would be sitting at the bottom of each cup by the end of baking but I used ground turkey instead of the original recipe's suggestion for veal/pork/beef mix, so there was very little fat leftover.

The addition of spinach to these little guys makes for a healthier meatball, and also adds a very nice taste. We really enjoyed these, and the recipe made enough for me to freeze some for another meal! I served them over ravioli and topped with homemade marinara sauce.

Baked Meatballs
slightly adapted from Alton Brown
makes 24 meatballs

1 and 1/3 pound package (approximate) ground turkey
5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 whole egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup bread crumbs, divided
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, spinach, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Use immediately or place in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs into a small bowl. In the mixing bowl, roughly divide the meat mixture into four equal parts. Using your hands, break each quarter into 6 equal parts. Shape each mound into a ball, roll in the bread crumbs and place the meatball in individual, miniature muffin tin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
Into the oven...

...and out of the oven!

8 comments:

Jaime and Jen DISH said...

What a great idea to bake meatballs in! Hmmm, craving some of that for dinner tonight!

Jenifer

What's Cookin Chicago said...

I love using my mini muffin pan for meatballs! Leave it to Alton to come up with ingenious ways to use our tools!

Anonymous said...

First off, congrats on the baby news!
Do you have a recipe for your homemade marinara? I tried to do a search but could not find it.
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

What a GREAT way to make meatballs! I would have never thought of that! :)

Colleen said...

@ Anonymous - I have not posted the marinara sauce because it is a family recipe. Are you someone I know though? Email me at cookingthisandthat@hotmail.com.

Pam said...

I love that you baked these in a muffin tin - I would never have thought to do that. The meatballs look amazing!

Anonymous said...

Hi Coleen,
No, I am a lurker on the cooking board and I think you have helped me w/ a few questions on your blog and via email (think it was a crockpot question) but no worries about the recipe...I TOTALLY understand! :)

Lorie

Elizabeth said...

What a clever idea to bake them in the muffin tins - I love it!