This recipe for healthy homemade meatballs with sauce comes from Chef Rocco DiSpirito who is best known as a celebrity chef and a cookbook author. If you desire to eat healthier but keep all the flavor, you will enjoy his latest cookbook, (affiliate link) The Negative Calorie Diet: 10 All You Can Eat Foods. He recently shared his healthy homemade meatballs recipe on Home & Family, which airs weekdays at 10 am ET/PT on Hallmark Channel. I was granted permission to share it with you here.
Healthy Homemade Meatballs Recipe With Mushroom and Spinach Sauce
serves 4
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces 96% lean ground beef (such as Laura’s Lean)
- 1 cup finely chopped puffed brown rice (such as Arrowhead Mills)
- 4 cups unsalted beef stock (such as Kitchen Basics)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 4 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion
- 8 cups washed spinach
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot, dissolved in 2 teaspoons of the stock
- 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated on a Microplane grater
How To Make Healthy Homemade Meatballs With Sauce
1. Place the beef in a large mixing bowl, pushing it to one side. Add the rice and 1 cup of the stock to the other side of the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let the rice absorb the stock, about 1 minute. Using an electric hand mixer, mix the beef into the rice until homogeneous, about 1 minute. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 16 equal-size meatballs. You can also make meatballs with a scooper.
2. Coat a large nonstick skillet with olive oil cooking spray and place over medium- high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the meatballs and brown on one side, about 1 minute. Turn the meatballs over and brown the opposite sides, about 30 seconds. Transfer the meatballs to a holding plate.
3. Spray the skillet again with cooking spray, and place back on the heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook until browned and softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook just to wilt, about 1 minute; then add the remaining stock and the arrowroot slurry and bring to a simmer while whisking until thickened. Add the meatballs and simmer until cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Spoon the healthy homemade meatballs and mushroom and spinach sauce into four bowls, distributing them equally. Sprinkle with cheese and serve!
You can include some no-sugar added dried cranberries if you want to liven things up a bit for an additional 20 calories per tablespoon. It is a delicious twist to try that makes the meatball sauce a little sweeter and tangy too!
Printable Healthy Meatballs Recipe
Healthy Homemade Meatballs With Spinach Sauce
Chef Rocco DiSpirito's healthy homemade meatballs recipe with a delicious mushroom and spinach sauce.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces 96% lean ground beef (such as Laura’s Lean)
- 1 cup finely chopped puffed brown rice (such as Arrowhead Mills)
- 4 cups unsalted beef stock (such as Kitchen Basics)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 4 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion
- 8 cups washed spinach
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot, dissolved in 2 teaspoons of the stock
- 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated on a Microplane grater
Instructions
- Place the beef in a large mixing bowl, pushing it to one side. Add the rice and 1 cup of the stock to the other side of the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let the rice absorb the stock, about 1 minute. Using an electric hand mixer, mix the beef into the rice until homogeneous, about 1 minute. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 16 equal-size meatballs. You can also make meatballs with a scooper.
- Coat a large nonstick skillet with olive oil cooking spray and place over medium- high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the meatballs and brown on one side, about 1 minute. Turn the meatballs over and brown the opposite sides, about 30 seconds. Transfer the meatballs to a holding plate.
- Spray the skillet again with cooking spray, and place back on the heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook until browned and softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook just to wilt, about 1 minute; then add the remaining stock and the arrowroot slurry and bring to a simmer while whisking until thickened. Add the meatballs and simmer until cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Spoon the healthy homemade meatballs and mushroom and spinach sauce into four bowls, distributing them equally. Sprinkle with cheese and serve!
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Homemade Meatballs With Spinach Sauce
Serves: 4
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 494.63 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 20.72 g | 31.9% | |
| Saturated Fat 8.03 g | 40.2% | |
| Trans Fat 1.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol 65.2 mg | 21.7% | |
| Sodium 1269.17 mg | 52.9% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 48.79 g | 16.3% | |
| Dietary Fiber 4.32 g | 17.3% | |
| Sugars 4.07 g | ||
| Protein 29.59 g | ||
| Vitamin A 33.33 % | Vitamin C 21.18 % | |
| Calcium 22.09 % | Iron 30.18 % | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Family Focus Blog
Do you think you will try making these healthy homemade meatballs with spinach and mushroom sauce? It makes a great all in one bowl family dinner meal. Do you have any of Chef DiSpirito’s cookbooks?
If you love mushrooms, you may also want to try pork chop with mushroom cream sauce.
I’m excited to add this recipe to our family menu. I love the unique flavor combinations and that it’s a healthy meal!
I am so much excited to see the delicious food. Tnanks for sharing
This actually looks really delicious! His negative calorie diet is such an interesting concept!
Scarlett I love the idea of the spinach. Meatballs are so satisfying and this is a new and unique to make them.