10/15/18

Parmesan Spinach Balls

An easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe using spinach, parmesan cheese and herb stuffing.

JUMP TO RECIPE

A year or two ago I asked on the FB page what some of your favorite appetizer recipes were because I was looking for new ideas. Y’all gave me tons of ideas but the one that really stuck in my mind was one my friend, Meg, suggested: Spinach Balls!

Yes, I’ve had that tucked in my gourd all this time. This is why I can’t remember to pay the water bill on time… I’ve got random things like must try spinach balls because Meg loves them and she has excellent taste so they must be great floating around in my head.

For over a year.

Spinach Balls! An easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe using spinach, parmesan cheese and herb stuffing.

I’d never even heard of them. A quick google search yielded tons of recipes. Do you ever wonder how a gozillion people know about something and you’ve never even heard of it?? I looked at several recipes to get a concept of the basic structure then came up with this recipe.

Most recipes either called for seasoned bread crumbs or dry herb stuffing. After glancing at enough recipes I figured one box of Stove Top would yield about the right amount so I went with that.

Then I wouldn’t have to throw away any unused bagged stuffing that went stale and I thought I’d enjoy the heartier texture of the Stove Top more than the finer meal of the bread crumbs.

Spinach Balls! An easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe using spinach, parmesan cheese and herb stuffing.

I thought these were fantastic! Husband runs screaming from anything green so he wouldn’t even try them. He earned himself a swat in the ear when he walked by and made a gagging sound but everybody thought they were fantastic!

So often I find myself going heavy on the “meat” appetizers and not making many alternatives like this recipe. Sure, I’m always good for a veggie tray and I can lay out a mean cheese board but I don’t really have any cooked, savory vegetable appetizers. Until now!

I also think this might be a fantastic side dish if cooked in a casserole dish!

Spinach Balls! An easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe using spinach, parmesan cheese and herb stuffing.

NOTES ON MAKING SPINACH BALLS

Substitute Pepperidge Farm or another favorite brand of stuffing if desired – you will need approximately 2-1/4 cups.

The consistency of the mixture depends entirely on how moist the spinach is. If you find your mixture is too dry to roll into balls, add one beaten egg or two egg whites. If it is too wet, add parmesan cheese.

These are awesome served with ranch dip.

If you don’t have a box grater or a food processor for the onions, just finely mince them. 

Spinach Balls! An easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe using spinach, parmesan cheese and herb stuffing.

MORE APPETIZER RECIPES!

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  • Buffalo Feathers – Grilled chicken tenders sauced like wings for all the fun and flavor of buffalo wings with half the work! 
  • Chipotle Shrimp Tostada Bites – Mini tostadas with chipotle glazed shrimp and guacamole sprinkled with a confetti of red onion and cilantro! 
  • Original Sausage Balls – The original recipe for sausage balls using Bisquick, cheddar cheese and sausage. 
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Recipe for Parmesan Spinach Balls

Spinach Balls! An easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe using spinach, parmesan cheese and herb stuffing.
Spinach Balls

Spinach Balls

Yield: 55-60 Balls
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min
An easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe using spinach, parmesan cheese and herb stuffing.

Ingredients

  • 2 10-oz packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 6-oz box Stove Top stuffing (any kind)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Drain spinach very well then add to a mixing bowl.
  3. Grate onion with a box grater (or chop with a food processor) then add onion to the spinach.
  4. Add melted butter, eggs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder and salt then stir well.
  5. Fold in dry stuffing mix. Add more parmesan cheese if necessary to ensure the consistency is thick enough to be rolled into balls.
  6. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls then place on a greased baking pan (they do not plump when they’re cooked so you can place them fairly close together). Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until slightly brown on the bottom.

Notes

  • Substitute Pepperidge Farm or another favorite brand of stuffing if desired – you will need approximately 2-1/4 cups.
  • The consistency of the mixture depends entirely on how moist the spinach is. If you find your mixture is too dry to roll into balls, add one beaten egg or two egg whites. If it is too wet, add parmesan cheese.
  • These are awesome served with ranch dip.
  • If you don’t have a box grater or a food processor, just finely mince the onion. 
spinach, spinach balls, parmesan, parmesean, stuffing, pepperidge farms, stove top, bread crumbs, best, recipe, easy, appetizer, party, game day, super bowl, football, tailgating, vegetable, hot, warm, finger food
appetizer
american
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14 comments:

  1. Hmmm...wonder what they would be like with mozzarella?? ;)

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  2. These sound wonderful... I had never heard of them before.. but I am going to try them ..Thanks..
    Bernice P

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  3. Captain Peter Morse10/15/18, 4:13 PM

    i was thinking mozzarella and some chopped ham and make it a casserole

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  4. We have been making these for many years but only use the Pepperidge Farm Stuffing mix. They are a family favorite and made for all family get togethers and disapper quickly.

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  5. Nothing beats taking something healthy and making it fun to eat :) well done on this one Mandy!!

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  6. I use a little sweet Italian sausage. Tasty!!

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  7. Are these good if baked the day before, or can they be mixed up and baked the next day?

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  8. Made these today. Quite good. Healthy way to get spinach in a diet and fun appetizer.

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  9. I've made these before and they were yummy, but I also did a trial batch with frozen brocoli that I defrosted and chopped up into small pieces with a hand chopper. You could do it in a food processor too. We liked them with brocoli even better than the spinach! Delish!

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  10. I used to make these all the time and they were always a hit! Haven't made them in years but I am going to make these tomorrow for a dinner party but this time im going to add feta cheese! Cant wait!

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  11. Do you prepare the stuffing or mix it in dry?

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    Replies
    1. Dry. It says mix in DRY stuffing mix

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  12. Just made these exactly according to the recipe. They are delicious!!! I’m a latecomer to this classic also, and have several recipes, but yours is the best. Thank you for clear instructions about the consistency, you’re an excellent writer.

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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.

I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).

And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy