Description
These Baked Chicken Ricotta Meatballs with Spinach are a delicious twist on classic meatballs, combining ground chicken, fresh spinach, and creamy ricotta for a flavorful and tender dish. Baked to perfection and simmered in marinara sauce, these meatballs are a comforting and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 cup fresh spinach finely chopped
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Additional:
- 1 cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- Prepare the meatball mixture: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, chopped spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix until just combined.
- Form meatballs: Shape the mixture into 20 meatballs and place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake for 18–20 minutes until cooked through and browned.
- Simmer in marinara: Heat marinara sauce in a pan, add the baked meatballs, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve: Serve meatballs with sauce over pasta, rice, or vegetables.
Notes
- For extra moisture, add 2 tablespoons of milk to the meatball mixture.
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs for a gluten-free version.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: ~260 kcal
- Sugar: ~3 g
- Sodium: ~480 mg
- Fat: ~14 g
- Saturated Fat: ~6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: ~8 g
- Trans Fat: ~0 g
- Carbohydrates: ~8 g
- Fiber: ~1 g
- Protein: ~25 g
- Cholesterol: ~110 mg
