Spinach-Cheese Balls with Pasta Sauce

By AnneS

Yields about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (4 oz)
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 container ricotta cheese (15 oz.)
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach (10 oz.), thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 cups flour
• olive oil for deep frying
• 3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 jar garden-style pasta sauce (25 1/2 oz.), warmed

Details

Servings 20
Preparation time 60mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from pillsbury.com

Preparation

Step 1

Remove frozen spinach from pouch; place in colander. Rinse with warm water until thawed; drain well. Squeeze spinach dry with paper towel.

In large bowl, combine the egg, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, sour cream, olive oil, and ricotta cheese until well blended. Add spinach to cheese mixture; mix well. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, until well blended.

In a deep-fat fryer, add the olive oil to the fill line. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.

Place bread crumbs in small bowl. Shape spinach-cheese mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls (about 40), using about 1 1/2 tablespoons for each; roll in the bread crumbs and place on cookie sheet.

Fry 6 balls at a time 4 to 6 minutes, turning as necessary, until golden brown. With slotted spoon, remove balls from skillet; place on paper towels to drain. Cool 2 minutes before serving; serve with warm pasta sauce for dipping.