Remember how I went over my basic grocery list last week? Well, one of the things I forgot to add to that list was frozen meatballs (Jennie-O turkey meatballs, to be precise). I used to love having them on hand because they make for a quick and easy source of protein that can be added to just about any meal.
But, the other day when I was searching in Whole Foods for a similar frozen meatball, all I came across was a package that had about 6 meatballs for nearly 7 dollars.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Instead, I grabbed some ingredients and took matters into my own hands.
Three Cheese Spinach Chicken Meatballs
ingredients:
- 1 lb ground chicken breast
- 8 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 1/4 cup ground flax meal
- 1 cup shredded three cheese blend (I used 365’s Fontina-Asiago-Parmesan)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
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directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and combine well. Make 15-18 balls and place on greased baking pan(s). Bake for 15 minutes at 400*, and then turn the oven down to 350* and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
These turned out to be even better than I expected!
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The cheese was melted throughout the meatballs, but it also made a delicious crust of sorts on the outside. The spinach added great flavor and the burst of green that you don’t usually find in meatballs.
I froze almost all of the meatballs, but I obviously had to implement some into my dinner last night. I ate two atop a bowl of sweet potato gnocchi, brussels sprouts, and marinara sauce…with a sprinkle of more cheese, naturally.
Absolutely to die. I think I’m getting the hang of this whole cooking-for-one deal!
What’s your go-to source of protein? Do you ever cook ahead and freeze food/meals?
yum! i cant get ground chicken but i can get ground turkey!! my go-to protein is greek yogurt.. so much protein in one little cup!
Wow those look so good!
My go-to protein is usually nuts or protein powder. I make protein powder muffins and they are soooo good - a bit processed though!
YUM those brussel sprouts look SO good with the marinara sauce!
Bobbie says
Those look soo delish! I am the queen of cooking a bunch of something and freezing the leftovers. Frozen homemade meals are quick and they taste amazing 🙂
girl that’s what i’m talkin about! those meatballs look stellar! you are totally on top of this whole cooking thang you’ve got going on here
I always make meatballs when I make spaghetti but I could have them just as a meal! I usually use ground turkey as well. 🙂
I love egg whites for protein! I also love freezing leftovers since lots of recipes make way more than needed for one or two people=)
What a delicious dinner! I love making my own meatballs. Ground chicken is one of my new favorite proteins to cook with.
I’m the college queen of cooking and freezing! By the way, just wanted you to know I nominated you for a blogger award. http://asideofsimple.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/live-and-blog-your-style/
thanks Natalia!!
Ahh, Gracie! These look amazing! I must make these! I have only made meatballs a few times, I always forget how good they are!
These sound right up our alley!
Erika says
ohh i’m so guilty of buying those whole foods meatballs! haha.
yours look marvelous though!
my go-to protein is chicken, i could never get sick of chicken 🙂
What is the best way to reheat these after freezing? Just microwave?
yep, I just microwave them since they’re already fully cooked!
Mmm those look good- never thought of that!
Those turned out quite nice! I’d eat ’em =)
I just made the Husband meatballs last night - I won’t lie, they smelled good!
Those look fab! I love making my own meatballs. Guess I should start freezing them!
Those look great!
I love cooking big batches of jambalaya (I will always be a southern girl at heart) or chili and freezing them for easy grab-n-go meals later on!
Those look delicious! I can’t wait to make some myself!
Looks awesome! I am a chicken girl!
Oh my, I need to make these! I buy the chicken meatballs that you saw at Whole Foods quite often…And yes, the price is ridiculous (but they’re SO good!). Yours look even better though! Thanks for the recipe.
My go-to protein is whipped cottage cheese…I eat it almost every day and can’t get enough!
Those look amazing!! Living alone seems to be working out for you!! My go to protein snack would be hardboiled eggs! Love them with a little hot sauce!! You can make a bunch ahead of time then keep them in the fridge!
Kara says
Those look fantastic, I think my husband would like them too! I precook meat all the time and freeze it in portion sizes for easy dinners. With a baby, it’s the best thing ever to have an easy dinner on hand!
These look fantastic!! I used to have such a hard time with cooking for one-glad you are mastering it!
cooking ahead is the name of my game!
i have a FT job and a FT family. if i dont cook ahead and make planned leftovers, we wouldnt eat and make as wise of food choices. it keeps us healthier when i cook this way.
your meatballs loook greattttt! 🙂
yum! those sound awesome. I will have to try and they don’t seem to hard to make either! 😉
Marie C. says
Yum! Those look really good.
These sound SO good! Thanks for the recipe. I’m bookmarking it right now! 🙂
yummmmmmmmmmmmm. I need to get my butt to the store so I can buy the stuff to make those!
I really want to make my own meatballs, but I’m always so lazy and opt for the frozen ones instead. This recipe looks amazing and I love that it has cheese and spinach in it!
My protein of choice is usually tofu, beans, and sometimes meat.
Mallory says
I made these tonight! I had a ground turkey that was about to go bad and this was perfect! Thank you so much for the tip! I froze a bunch too!
Yay! So glad you liked them 🙂
Pure2raw Twins says
Yes I try to do my best with cooking and making meals ahead of time. Some weeks I am better at it than others. It seems to help me stress less about food since I know I have some great meals already made! 🙂
Andrea@Thin Thighs & Sweet Potato Fries says
OMG! Those look delicious! 😛
Anna says
Hello, I enjoy your blog and made these today! I added some sriracha to brighten them up a bit.
Hey Anna! Maybe I should know this but…what’s sriracha?? And how’d the meatballs turn out with that addition? I’m always looking for suggestions! 🙂
Anna says
Hi there again,
Sriracha is like hot spicy asian ketchup-not too tough to find, I don’t think- I only use it from time to time for a little enhancement of flavor in some things like meatballs or sometimes white chicken chilli. A friend of mine introduced me to it whose husband was part Vietnamese and who likes things on the hotter side. Hope you do too-when I made your meatballs I kind of made a medium size squiggled “X” in the mix of everything, you can season to taste, more would make it hotter, of course. I am not sure how different it would taste because I did not try it without…
Ohh okay, thanks!! I’m always up for new flavors/seasoning, so I’ll have to keep my eyes open for that 🙂
Alyson @ Nourished Fitness says
oh yum! I am all over these.. bookmarked!
sarah says
Just made these… they are to DIE for. Love them so so so much.
Thanks for the recipe!
YAY, so glad you liked them!! 🙂
Ashleigh says
Hi Gracie, Sarah had told me how much she loved your recipe. My roommate and I tried it out for dinner last night and they were delicious! Thank you!!
morgan says
Could you use bread crumbs instead of the flax meal? I dont have any of that lying around, but I do have bread and a food processor… hmm I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I’m thinking that would work!! let me know!
morgan says
It worked great had them tonight, but I used fresh spinach instead of the frozen kind. I also threw in some sun dried tomatoes and some crushed red pepper for a little zest. Mmmm delish!
Sarah says
Made these for mom and dad tonight, substituting breadcrumbs for the flax. instant hit!