Spinach Meatballs With Pasta

By Ali Slagle

Updated February 19, 2026

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
1½ hr
Rating
5(576)
Comments
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Adding frozen, chopped spinach to your meatballs to “stretch” the meat further isn’t just kind to your pocket book — it also makes for a better meatball. The spinach brings moisture to the mix of beef and pork, which leads to a more tender and juicy meatball. (You can also exclusively use pork or beef if you prefer.) The spinach also accentuates the minerality of the iron-rich ground beef, adding savoriness without heaviness. This recipe has you brown the meatballs in a pot so that you can build the sauce with the flavorful drippings. If you’d prefer to cook the meatballs in the oven, roast them on the upper rack at 425 degrees until no longer pink, 11 to 14 minutes, then broil until golden-brown on top, 2 to 4 minutes before adding to the sauce. Be sure to scrape any drippings from the sheet pan into the sauce as well. 

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, liquid reserved

  • ¾ cup panko bread crumbs

  • 1 large egg

  • 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided

  • Salt and black pepper

  • 8 ounces ground beef (15- to 20-percent fat)

  • 8 ounces ground pork

  • ½ cup finely grated Parmesan (about 1½ ounces), plus more for serving

  • ¼ cup finely chopped parsley or basil, plus a few sprigs

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rolling

  • 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes 

  • 1 pound spaghetti, rigatoni or another long or tubed noodle

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, stir together the spinach, ½ cup of the spinach liquid, panko, egg, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt) and a few grinds of pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes, until the panko is softened.

    1. Step 2

      Add the beef, pork, Parmesan and parsley. Mix with your hands until just combined, avoiding overmixing. Using oiled hands, roll the mixture into 18 balls (each about 2 heaping tablespoons,  about 50 grams each) and place on a plate or sheet pan as you go. If the meat is soft and not holding its shape, refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes to firm.

    1. Step 3

      In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add the meatballs and cook until browned on two sides, 3 to 6 minutes per side. Return to the plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs. (They will not be cooked through yet.)

    1. Step 4

      Without cleaning the pot, reduce heat to medium-low and add the remaining garlic. Stir to coat in the fat, then carefully add the crushed tomatoes, the herb sprigs and a pinch of salt. Scrape up the stuck-on browned bits. Once gently simmering, add the meatballs and any drippings from the plate. Cook, flipping the meatballs occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is rich, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat. 

    1. Step 5

      While the meatballs are simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the meatballs are done, add the pasta to the water and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 ½ cups pasta water, then drain and return the pasta to the pot. 

    1. Step 6

      Add about 1 cup of the tomato sauce to the pasta, along with ½ cup pasta water. Toss over medium-high until the pasta is glossed in sauce; add more sauce and pasta water as needed until lightly coated. Serve the pasta topped with the meatballs, more sauce and more grated Parmesan.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
576 user ratings
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Comments

Name nolabelle

@Thomas Here’s AI’s take on it: Frozen spinach is generally considered better for cooking due to its high nutrient retention, convenience, and cost-effectiveness, often containing more iron, folate, and fiber per serving than fresh. Because it is frozen at peak maturity, it avoids the rapid nutrient degradation fresh spinach experiences during transport.

Justine

My kids said “this isn’t good… it’s great!” And it is! My one note is that the meatballs fell apart in the sauce.

susiecue

@Justine As did mine. I thought it was may have been because I used a whole pound of spinach. The sauce was too monotone made with just garlic;ic and tomatoes.

Jean

I used 1 lb. Italian bulk sausage + 1/4 lb. ground beef (because I had it left over). Whole Foods didn't have a 10 oz. package of spinach so I used about half of a 16 oz package of whole leaf spinach that was in the freezer. I chopped it up while it was still partly frozen, microwaved it and squeezed out the water. I did not add back any of the spinach water to the meatballs. Meatballs did not crumble but I was careful with them. Made 24 meatballs. Delicious with the sauce and pasta.

Charlotte

Made almost exactly as written, sooooooo delicious and a great toddler friendly meal! Baked the meatballs per the note and added pan drippings to the sauce. Also added 1/2 tsp sugar to the sauce

Kelly

Added two eggs to help with binding and used only beef ~1.3lbs. Meatballs still kinda fell apart. Delicious and moist meatballs with a subtle spinach flavor. We had to put the lid back on the Dutch oven in order to get the meatballs up to temp (165F).

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