Tender meatballs where the spinach completely disappears, coated in a mild creamy sauce. A family meal that gets kids to eat vegetables without realizing it.
Ingredients
- 200 g fresh spinach
- 400 g ground beef (5% fat)
- 1 piece onion
- 1 piece egg yolk
- 30 g fine breadcrumbs
- to taste fine salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 15 g all-purpose flour
- 100 ml vegetable broth (homemade or diluted cube)
- 200 ml heavy cream (30% fat)
- 300 g dry pasta (fusilli or tagliatelle)
Method
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Wash the spinach, plunge it into the boiling water for 30 seconds, drain it, and squeeze it in a clean kitchen towel to extract as much water as possible. Chop very finely with a knife (almost into a purée).
- Peel and grate the onion on the fine grater. In a bowl, mix the ground beef, chopped spinach, grated onion, egg yolk, breadcrumbs, and a pinch of salt. Knead until a homogeneous mixture forms.
- Form walnut-sized meatballs (about 20 pieces). Roll them between your palms so they are perfectly round.
- Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a large nonstick skillet. Brown the meatballs on all sides (about 5 minutes). Remove them and set aside on a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining butter. When it foams, sprinkle in the flour and whisk briskly for 1 minute. Pour in the vegetable broth while whisking, then the cream. Let thicken for 2 minutes while stirring. Salt lightly.
- Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken further and the meatballs will cook through.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain.
- Serve the meatballs and their sauce over the pasta. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. No pepper or spices, to keep it kid-friendly.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 805.8 kcal
- Protein
- 34.74 g
- Carbohydrate
- 61.09 g
- Fat
- 46.33 g
- Fibre
- 5.38 g
- Calcium
- 112.31 mg
- Iron
- 2.51 mg
- Magnesium
- 47.13 mg