Growing up, we were exclusively a meat sauce house. That means the only meatballs I ever had were the ones from the school cafeteria that had undoubtedly been frozen and thawed, then stewed for hours waiting for school children. Don’t get me wrong, my mom’s meat sauce is delicious, especially in the past few years. She’s really kicked up the heat a few notches.

The first time I had a meatball that didn’t come from a frozen bag, I was hooked. My favorite are these simple pork meatballs that I can usually scrounge up ingredients for, as long as I have a pound or so of ground pork. They are simple and delicious. I love how crispy the edges of the meatballs get. They go well with a tomato sauce and pasta, or you can put them with rice and veggies for a stir fry. I also really like them with a basil pesto sauce and vermicelli rice noodles. If your kiddos are on the hesitant side of eating, try the sauces on the side. Dipping can be an activity that makes dinner a little more exciting. It also gives them more control over how they eat the meal.

If spinach in meatballs sounds a little weird, I promise, as long as you chop it small, you won’t even taste it. I don’t love the concept of “hiding veggies”, because I think kids should know what’s in something. Otherwise, how will they know they like spinach in their meatballs? I’m all about getting veggies in unusual things if it’s still palatable, but we don’t try to hide it.

The type of sriracha we used is Yellow Bird Blue Agave Sriracha. It’s much sweeter and less spicy than our usual sriracha, but I am enjoying being able to use it liberally on everything lately. Breakfast tacos, homemade shrimp fried rice last night, and a chicken salad sandwich.

If you are new to homemade meatballs, these are a perfect place to start! I highly recommend having an instant read thermometer on hand. These freeze well, and to reheat, simply simmer in marinara.

Easy Pork and Spinach Meatballs

Ingredients

1.5 pounds ground pork

1 Tablespoon sriracha

1 egg

1/2 cup gluten free cracker crumbs

1/2 cup chopped spinach

1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Mix together all ingredients.
2. Form into 3/4″ balls.
3. Heat a skillet on medium heat.
4. Add meatballs to skillet, separated by at least 1/2″.
5. Cook on all sides until lightly browned and reaches internal temperature of 160°F.