Circle B Kitchen
These little flavor bombs are super convenient because they bake up perfectly straight from the freezer, which means you can make them well in advance and quickly cook them up when you're ready to serve them. You can certainly cook them up before freezing them, but I think they actually come out better when cooked from their frozen state.
10-oz each frozen kale and spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 ½ cups grated parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup regular breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 cup chopped onion or shallots
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Line a medium-sized cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium skillet and add the chopped onion. Sauté until cooked through and very soft, about 5-7 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Combine the kale, spinach, onion, eggs, the ½ cup of regular breadcrumbs, 1 cup of the grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until you have a smooth consistency.
Spoon the spinach mixture into a medium bowl and form into little balls (each a little less than a tablespoon) and place on the parchment- lined cookie sheet.
Combine the ½ cup of panko and remaining ½ cup of parmesan cheese in a bowl. Roll each little spinach ball into the parmesan mixture, pressing the crumbs into the spinach ball so that the larger pieces will adhere. You can easily re-form the ball if it gets a little out of shape in this process.
Place the crumb-coated balls back on the parchment and when they’re all coated, place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until they’re solidly frozen. You can now place them in an airtight container and return them to the freezer for future use.
To bake:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the desired number of frozen spinach balls on the paper. Spray the spinach balls with a little nonstick cooking spray. Place an oven rack in the top third of the oven and place the baking sheet on the rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they’re just starting to turn golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.
Note: If you would like to bake them as soon as they’re made (not frozen), just bake them for about 15 minutes, following instructions above.