Chicken, Spinach, and Feta Meatballs

Can we get real with each other for a minute?

As a food blogger, there’s this ridiculous pressure that every recipe has to be earth shatteringly wonderful.  They have to be unique, creative, and easy enough that people will actually attempt making it themselves. The photos have to be gorgeous and there has to be a story that goes along with them. Otherwise, they’re not deemed “blog worthy.”

What the heck?

That’s a lot to accomplish!  Sure, I may have time on the weekend to make multiple batches of blondies in order to create the perfect version, but on a weeknight when I just want to get dinner on the table and get on with my life? No way. But because there’s this pressure sometimes I feel like if I’m not going to make something “blog worthy” I might as well not bother at all. Those nights, I throw up my hands and order a pizza. We eat a lot of pizza.

What’s wrong with food that’s just plain good? I almost didn’t share these chicken and spinach meatballs because they’re “boring.” They’re not made from unicorn tears and they won’t win any awards. They’ve almost certainly been done before. But the recipe is solid and they’re a nice twist on a classic. Shawn loves them and would never complain if they showed up on his plate. And I actually have enough energy to make them on a weeknight. Don’t we need more recipes like that?

Chicken, Spinach, and Feta Meatballs

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

I love eating these meatballs wrapped in pita bread with lettuce, red onion, tomato, chopped cucumber, and homemade tzatziki (plain nonfat Greek yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, dill, salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice). They're also great served with tzatziki as an appetizer.

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Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 pound ground chicken breast
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup crumbled reduced fat feta

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450ºF. Coat bottom of a baking dish with oil.
2. Bring a small pot of water to a rapid simmer. Add the spinach and cook 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Drain and chop.
3. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, garlic, egg, chopped spinach, and feta; mix until just incorporated. Firmly roll the mixture into 12 balls, about 2 inches each; place in prepared dish. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.