https://calgaryavansino.com/recipes/spinach-polpette-easy-marinara-sauce/
Ingredients
for the polpette:
- 450g washed spinach
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 60g or one small red onion, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 50g pumpkin seeds
- 60g rolled oats
- 50g coarsely grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 15g fresh parsley, leaves picked
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt, or more as needed
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 60g or one small tomato, cut in small cubes, deseeded
for the easy marinara sauce:
- 500g or approx. five tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 125g sun-dried tomatoes, previously soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
- 15g fresh basil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dried herbs de Provence
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 fresh red chilli pepper
- salt and pepper, to taste
for the polpette:
- 12 cups (firmly packed) washed spinach
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup or one small red onion, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, leaves picked
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt, or more as needed
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup or one small tomato, cut in small cubes, deseeded
for the easy marinara sauce:
- 3 cups or approx. five tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes, previously soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dried herbs de Provence
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 fresh red chilli pepper
- salt and pepper, to taste
My favourite new meatballs! I love finding new ways to make traditional comfort foods more nutritious. Vegetarian, satisfying and family friendly – this is definitely a recipe to add in to your routine.
To make the polpette:
Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F.
Blanch the spinach in a big pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside. Once it is cold enough to handle, squeeze all the extra liquid out of it; this is crucial or you’ll end up with a very wet mix.
Warm 1 tbsp of olive oil in a medium-sized pan. Add the diced onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and the pumpkin seeds. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 more minutes, until onions are soft and golden. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Put the oats in a food processor and blend until you reach the consistency of a coarse flour. Add the onion mix together with the parmesan, egg, cooled spinach, parsley, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Pulse 15 times – you want to have some texture so just mix until everything comes together.
Pour the mix in a bowl and add the tomato cubes. Then roll the mixture into golf-sized balls and place on a lightly-oiled baking tray and cook in the oven for 25 minutes, until nicely golden.
To make the sauce:
Put the chopped fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, basil, vinegar, maple syrup, dried herbs, garlic and red chilli pepper in a food processor. Blitz for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper. This sauce is delicious raw, but you can warm it up in a small sauce pan just before serving.
Once the polpette are cooked, serve with the marinara sauce, along with your favourite buckwheat spaghetti or noodles. I suggest celeriac noodles!
