Sausage Spinach Balls with Vegetarian Variation
A hearty version of spinach bites. For best appearance, you need to chill overnight BEFORE baking, and they may be frozen after baking. For party food, serve with a spicy mustard.
2 12 oz packages frozen, whole leaf spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and chopped
2 cups crushed herb stuffing mix
OR seasoned coarse dry Italian bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4 eggs, beaten
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 pound bulk pork or turkey Italian sausage, cooked and drained
OR 1 cup chopped seitan/ wheatmeat sausage with 2 fruity tablespoons olive oil
You can add a bit of crushed garlic if you are not going to freeze them
Combine all ingredients except sausage or seitan in a large bowl. If using pork sausage, remove casings from sausage and cook until no longer pink, crumbling with a fork, about 4 minutes. Add sausage and drippings to spinach mixture and combine well.
Shape into about 72 one inch balls and place on baking sheet. Cover and chill overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.
May be frozen after baking. If frozen, reheat frozen at 325 for 12 min.
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