Sausage & White Cheddar Spinach Balls

These savory little spinach balls are a great way to re-purpose leftover stuffing after a big meal. They have just the right mix of flavors to make them totally addictive … I found myself eating them for breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon snacks … you name it, these spinach balls were my food buddies.

My first attempt at making spinach balls with leftover stuffing was the day after Christmas. I had stumbled across recipes with reviews that said they were a holiday favorite and everyone in the family requested them every year. I tried making them as the recipe stated … and yeah, I didn’t quite see what all the fuss was about. I decided I needed to try again and add more flavor and texture. I brought some of the leftover stuffing home and started concocting my new and improved spinach balls. I used an aged sharp white cheddar cheese, added some red pepper flakes for a bit of zing and then a bit of hot Italian sausage … and, just for a little extra texture, some chopped, toasted pecans. Now THESE are spinach balls worth raving about!

The stuffing I had was a little too wet and the balls were hard to form, so I had to add some extra breadcrumbs. That was convenient because we had just gone to Red Lobster to celebrate my birthday and brought home a few of those garlicky Cheddar Bay biscuits. I blended one up in the handi chopper and added it to the mix. Oh yeah, just what it needed!

I want to try this again using breadcrumbs (or perhaps Cheddar Bay biscuit crumbs) in place of the stuffing. That will take a bit more tweaking to get the texture right. Stay tuned! By the way, if you’re looking for a recipe for amazing Cheddar Bay biscuits, try my Chipotle Cheddar Bay biscuit recipe. They’re amazing!

Sausage & White Cheddar Spinach Balls

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients

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• 3 cups packed, chopped fresh spinach (or 10 oz. frozen)
• 1 1/4 cups leftover stuffing (cooked-I used my spinach cornbread stuffing – recipe here)
• 1 cup finely shredded white cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup cooked lean hot Italian sausage crumbles
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
• Fresh ground black pepper
• A sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• 1 egg, beaten
• Bread (or biscuit or cracker) crumbs, as needed

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Put the spinach in a medium mixing bowl, cover and microwave for 2 minutes. Use a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out any excess moisture.
3. Stir in the stuffing, the shredded cheese and the sausage crumbles. Sprinkle with black pepper and red pepper flakes and stir a bit more.
4. Add the egg and stir to mix well. If the mixture is too wet to form into balls, add some extra bread crumbs until it easily forms into balls.
5. Form the mixture into 1 – 1 1/2 inch balls, setting the balls on the prepared baking sheet and leaving a little space between them. Bake at 350 F. for about 20 minutes or until the balls are set.
6. Let cool slightly and serve warm.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friends Friday, Home Matters, What’s for Dinner Sunday and Marathons & Motivations.