Spinach Balls

By lily_bones

Ingredients

• Ingredients:
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed, reserving liquid
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup italian bread crumbs or plain + 1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's http://www.tonychachere.com/ or equivalent mixture of cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, white pepper, and/or other seasonings to taste
• 1 cup shaved Romano cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Oil, if frying

Details

Servings 32

Preparation

Step 1

Squeeze the remaining liquid out of the spinach with your hands, and set the reserved liquid aside for later if needed.

Saute onion in butter until soft but not browned. Place in large mixing bowl with spinach, egg, bread crumbs, 1 cup Romano and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly. Let mixture sit 5 to 10 minutes to allow dry ingredients to absorb moisture. Then form a 1-inch ball with mixture to see if ball holds its shape. If it's to wet, add more cheese or breadcrumbs. If too dry, add a bit of the spinach liquid. Form remaining mixture into compact 1-inch balls, rolling in your palms to make smooth; you should end with about 32.

If baking: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange spinach balls on a baking sheet coated with oil or nonstick spray. Bake uncovered 10-12 minutes, flip and continue baking until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Better undercooked than over.

If frying: Heat 1 inch of oil in a large deep skillet until moderately hot. Fry spinach balls in small batches until golden brown, 3 to 6 minutes, turning once so they will brown evenly; do not overcook or spinach will be dry. Drain on paper towels. Skim any drippings from oil between batches.

I bet you could make the balls ahead of time and freeze. I might make a double-recipe next time and freeze half.