| Spinach Pancetta Balls: 28 Days of Super Bowl Recipes | |
Recipe type: snack
Author:
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 10-12
Crispy pancetta, onion and spinach get a kick from red pepper in this snack.
Ingredients
- 2 12-16 ounce bags of fresh spinach
- 4-6 ounces of pancetta, cubed
- 2 cups stuffing
- 1 medium onion
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup vegetable stock
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme, stems removed
- 1 generous teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยบ.
- Crisp up the pancetta in a frying pan while wilting the spinach in a dry pan.
- Once the pancetta and the spinach are done, drain and set aside to cool. With a sharp knife, roughly chop up the cooked spinach.
- Either by hand or in a food processor, mince the onion and the garlic together.
- Chop in the thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, gently fold together the spinach, pancetta, beaten eggs, melted butter, vegetable stock and onion and cheese mixture until evenly combined.
- Break the stuffing into smaller pieces, but do not smash them entirely into bread crumbs.
- Fold in the stuffing.
- Form into generous teaspoon-sized balls and place on a lined baking pan. (I use my cookie scoop.)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and crispy on the outside.
- Serve with either marinara or ranch dressing for dipping.
Notes
Can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. Flash freeze on a baking sheet for 30 minutes and then put in a freezer safe container. Add 5-10 minutes to baking time.
Recipe by sarah sprague at http://sarahsprague.com/2012/01/27/spicy-spinach-pancetta-balls-28-days-of-super-bowl-recipes/