This twist on spaghetti & meatballs produces tender meatballs with spinach mixed in. This recipe is for the pickiest of children because they won’t even notice the spinach! These are simmered in a robust marinara sauce and taste ultra delicious over some pasta! Serve with a light side salad to complete the meal.
Most meatball florentine recipes are made with turkey meatballs and a white cream-based sauce with spinach. I decided to make something a little different with the same concept. I used ground beef and a marinara-like sauce. The meatballs were moist and tender and the sauce was restaurant quality. I’ll look into making the other version next time since I love white sauces.
How to make Beef Meatball Florentine in Marinara Sauce
This recipe was definitely a success. This can be slow-cooked or cooked within 40 minutes. The choice is yours! (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Ground Beef: I prefer 80-20 ground beef for meatballs.
- Italian Breadcrumbs: These have a good seasoning to them. You can sub this out for regular breadcrumbs and add your own Italian seasoning.
- Whole Milk or 2%: This is for the breadcrumbs. Mixing some milk with breadcrumbs creates a panade (a paste) and helps the meatballs stay moist.
- Garlic: Used in meatballs and sauce.
- Spinach: You will need some chopped spinach. The rest of the spinach can be left as whole leaves since it’ll be added just before the sauce is done cooking.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Canned San Marzano Tomatoes: Crush them up so there’s pieces of tomato in your sauce. This will also help the juices release.
- Canned Tomato Puree: I personally prefer puree over sauce, but you can use tomato sauce if that’s what you have on hand.
- Tomato Paste
- Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder
- Fresh Parsley, Oregano, Basil: You can opt in for the dried herbs, though I feel dried oregano would be best if you absolutely had to use it. I don’t recommend using dried basil or dried parsley; you get more flavor out of fresh basil and fresh parsley. I don’t like using dried herbs unless I don’t have a choice.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
Mix together ground beef, some garlic, chopped spinach, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and breadcrumbs, mixing to form a paste. Mix that into the ground beef, being careful not to overmix, otherwise, the meatballs will be tough. Roll into 1-inch meatballs and set aside. This should make about 10-12 meatballs, depending on how big you roll them. Heat oil on medium-high heat in a large saucepot. Brown the meatballs on one side, flip, cover the pot, and brown the other side. this will partially steam the meatballs so they aren’t completely raw when you simmer them in the sauce. Remove from the saucepot and set aside. Add in the remaining garlic and cook for one minute. Add in the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, puree, and tomato paste. Stir in the basil, parsley, and oregano. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of garlic powder. Simmer with the meatballs for 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the remaining spinach until it wilts. The internal temperature of the meatballs should be 170F. Turn off the heat and serve with pasta. Directions for the Slow Cooker are in the recipe card.
Tips & FAQs
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Pour the sauce and meatballs into a saucepot and simmer on medium heat for 10-20 minutes, depending on how much sauce and meatballs you add. Let the meatballs come to a temperature of 160F or higher.
- Freeze: You can freeze the meatballs and sauce for later use. Freeze in a freezer-safe container or a ziploc bag for 3 months. Thaw completely then reheat on the stovetop in a saucepot for 30 minutes.
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Beef Meatball Florentine with Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb 80% lean ground beef
- 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 (28 oz) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can tomato puree
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano, or 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 5-6 oz fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Combine milk and breadcrumbs to form a panade (a paste) in a large mixing bowl. In that same bowl, combine together the minced garlic, chopped spinach, 1 tsp salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. Add in the ground beef and knead with your hands until everything is well combined, being careful not to over-knead.
- Pinch off bits of the mixture and roll into 1 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Set aside on a plate.
- In a large saucepot, heat the olive oil on medium heat until shimmering. Brown the meatballs on one side for about 4 minutes. Flip the meatballs and cover the pot; allow to brown for another 4 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- In that same pot, add in the sliced garlic and cook for 1 minute until the garlic is golden. Add in the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato paste, basil, parsley, oregano, and salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, then add in the meatballs and any juices that have accumulated. Simmer for 25 minutes. Add in the baby spinach and stir until it wilts, then simmer for 5 minutes more until the internal temperature of the meatballs is 170F. Serve with pasta.
- Combine the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato paste, basil, parsley, oregano, and salt in the slow cooker.
- Combine milk and breadcrumbs to form a panade (a paste) in a large mixing bowl. In that same bowl, combine together the minced garlic, chopped spinach, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. Add in the ground beef and knead with your hands until everything is well combined, being careful not to over-knead.
- Pinch off bits of the mixture and roll into 1 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Set aside on a plate.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat until shimmering. Brown the meatballs on one side for about 4 minutes, flip, then brown on the other side for another 4 minutes. Remove from the pot and add into the slow cooker.
- In that same skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, then add in the garlic and cook. stirring frequently, until golden, about 1 minute. Transfer everything in the skillet to the slow cooker, including the juices left from the meatballs and the oil.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low until the meatballs are tender, 4 to 5 hours. Towards the last few minutes of cooking, gently stir in the baby spinach, 1 handful at a time. Let it sit until it wilts, about 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste, if needed. Serve with pasta.
Notes
* Cook time is based on the Stovetop method.
** You can opt in for the dried herbs, though I feel dried oregano would be best if you absolutely had to use it. I don’t recommend using dried basil or dried parsley; you get more flavor out of fresh basil and fresh parsley. I don’t like using dried herbs unless I don’t have a choice.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Pour the sauce and meatballs into a saucepot and simmer on medium heat for 10-20 minutes, depending on how much sauce and meatballs you add. Let the meatballs come to a temperature of 160F or higher.
- Freeze: You can freeze the meatballs and sauce for later use. Freeze in a freezer-safe container or a ziploc bag for 3 months. Thaw completely then reheat on the stovetop in a saucepot for 30 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
267.78Fat (grams)
13.08Sat. Fat (grams)
4.61Carbs (grams)
24.41Fiber (grams)
3.2Net carbs
21.19Sugar (grams)
5.74Protein (grams)
14.08Sodium (milligrams)
863.42Cholesterol (grams)
35.83The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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