Recipe and photo by Lindsey Frisbie, RD, LD

These are not your average meatballs. Adding more colorful vegetables to your meals doesn’t have to be complicated. These meatballs get a veggie boost with chopped spinach, bell peppers and onions and an infusion of flavor courtesy of feta cheese, olives and Italian herbs & spices. Plus, replacing breadcrumbs with oats ups the fiber content.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes / Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound organic ground chicken
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup spinach, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400℉.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, mixing well to incorporate spices.

3. Form into approximately 15 meatballs and arrange on a greased rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through so chicken reaches an internal temp of 165℉. Enjoy over pasta, zoodles or rice or alongside roasted vegetables.

This article was originally published in the 2022 issue of Bread & Butter magazine.