spaghetti and meatballs

Chopped spinach and a slice of light bread is the secret to making these meatballs “lighter”.  You can even make these ahead of time, freeze them on a cookie sheet and then place them in a freezer ziplock for an easy dinner. Just take them out, brown them and continue on with the recipe.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs:

• 1 lb. 93/7% lean ground beef
• 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 slice Orowheat Light whole wheat bread
• 1 egg
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. parsley, minced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (you could also use Pecorino Romano)
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Sauce:

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 onion, left whole
• salt and pepper

Wet bread with a little water and mash it up.  Combine with beef, spinach, egg, garlic, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper.  Mix thoroughly until well combined and then roll to make 30 meatballs, each 1/8 of cup.

In a large pot, add olive oil and garlic.  Heat on medium.  When garlic is starting to brown, add tomatoes, onion, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and cover.

In a large non-stick skillet, add the 1 Tbsp. olive oil on medium-low.  When the oil is hot, add meatballs and cook, turning them so they brown on all sides.  Add to sauce and continue to cook until meatballs are cooked through.  You may need to add a little water if the sauce reduces too much.

1 serving is 5 meatballs and a half cup of sauce (5 WW pts+).  Serve with pasta.

Adapted from Gina’s Skinny Recipes