Spinach-cheese Balls With Pasta Sauce

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 9 ounces frozen spinach
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (4 oz)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• vegetable oil (for deep frying)
• 3/4 cup progresso italian style breadcrumbs
• 1 (25 1/2 ounce) jar muir glen organic garden vegetable pasta sauce, heated through

Recipe

• 1 remove spinach from pouch; place in colander.
• 2 rinse with warm water until thawed; drain well.
• 3 squeeze spinach dry with paper towel.
• 4 meanwhile, in large bowl, mix egg, both cheeses, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, ground nutmeg, sour cream, oil and ricotta cheese until well blended.
• 5 add spinach to cheese mixture; mix well.
• 6 stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, until well blended.
• 7 fill 10" skillet half full with oil; heat over medium heat until candy/deep-fry thermometer reads 350f.(or use deep fryer; add oil to fill line and heat to 350f).
• 8 meanwhile, place bread crumbs in small bowl.
• 9 shape spinach-cheese mixture into 1-1/2" balls(about 40), using about 1-1/2 tablespoons for each; roll in bread crumbs and place on cookie sheet.
• 10 fry 6 balls at a time 4-6 minutes, turning as necessary, until golden brown.
• 11 with slotted spoon, remove balls from skillet; place on paper towels to drain.
• 12 cool 2 minutes before serving; serve with warm pasta sauce for dipping.