Recipe(tried): Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs and Tomato Sauce (using ground chicken and spinach)

I set this recipe aside in a "special place", to post it...and the hiding place was so special even I couldn't find it!

Anyhoo,(finally!) I am including my "tweaks", but I will let you know they are the spicing and the cheese in the meatballs. This recipe is from a parenting magazine, and I liked the premise, but recognised it would be too tame for our palate.

But we were very happy with the result (after tweaking). Also, I doubled this recipe, (that made one large full tray of good-sized meatballs, 4 to a serving) and froze the second meal. When I had one (unfrozen) leftover meatball the second day at work, I was glad I did! It was even better the next day.

Cheers!

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN MEATBALLS AND TOMATO SAUCE

If you are short on time, skip the sauce and simmer the meatballs in a prepared marinara sauce from the store.

FOR THE MEATBALLS:
1 pack frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained and all extra moisture squeezed out
1 lb ground chicken
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
red pepper flakes to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Combine all ingredients to make the meatballs, and bake them for 25 minutes, turning after 15.

FOR THE SAUCE:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
red pepper flakes to taste
1 (28 oz) tin crushed tomatoes
1 (28 oz) tin diced tomatoes
1/4 cup or so of fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp or so mixed Italian herbs, dried
salt, pepper, parmesan cheese for sprinkling at serving time

Heat oil and saute onion, then garlic, to soften. Add all other ingredient, bring up to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes or so.

Add the browned meatballs, and continue simmering for another 1/2 hour or so, until the meatballs are tender and the sauce is thick.

My preference is to add the parsley near the end of the cooking time. But I love the fresh taste, and have a BIG patch in my garden I can use all winter, oftenyears(barring a big freeze)

Serve with your favourite pasta (we had whole wheat spaghettini) and sprinkle to taste with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

p.s. I did everything for this in the food processor: grated a whack of garlic, chopped the onions, crushed one tin of tomatoes (the store only had diced the day I went), ground the chicken (from chicken breasts, altho I think a mix of dark and white might be a bit moister), and I could have also done the breadcrumbs and cheese but they were already done. Hey, it really made the cleanup worthwhile!