The creamy, cheesy spinach and artichoke dip we all know and love lightened up and served over a bed of yellow rice with ALL the crispy chips: these Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Meatballs are truly the coziest, easy dinner.
Jump to RecipeMaybe it’s game day, and you’ve got a crowd to please. Maybe you’re just at a bar — or even a pub of sorts — and you need some munchies to tide you over. Or, if you’re like me, maybe you just order “spinach and artichoke dip” just about every time you see it on a menu. It’s creamy, it’s warm, it’s cozy… there’s nobody that doesn’t like a good spinach artichoke dip. Right?? Well, as much as we can all agree on this, I think we can also agree that the classic dip can send you into a food coma (or maybe even to the bathroom…). So, in lieu of making this childhood fav into a meal (because — let’s face it, we all wish dip could be our main course sometimes), I decided to take a lighter approach. Still including all of the cheesy goodness, BUT opting for baked meatballs, a lighter milk as opposed to cream, and greek yogurt instead of mayo: this Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Meatballs recipe is truly a game-changer. You have to try it!!
the breakdown…
While the list of ingredients for these Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Meatballs may seem a bit lengthy, I promise you this is seriously one of the easiest recipes on my site. With a simple baked chicken meatball, an easy, mostly pantry staple spinach artichoke sauce, and a base of saffron rice, this one comes together so fast!
To start things off, you’ve got to make those chicken meatballs. This recipe, like many of my meatball recipes, is a bit on the lighter side. I use finely grated zucchini to bring in some moisture, as opposed to using a ton of eggs or oils. Plus, the final product is baked instead of fried, which is always a nice healthy twist. That being said, you could totally pan fry these if you want the meatballs extra crispy — or even if you just want to use one pan. It’s up to you!
Really, though, you don’t want to skimp on the flavor of these meatballs. While they are fairly minimal in ingredients, these meatballs truly pack a punch. The worcestershire is the perfect way to bring in the flavors of the sauce, just as the dried parsley gives it a much needed freshness. There’s no need to go overboard with these ones — they’re just plain delicious:))
all about that sauce!!
While those are baking away, it’s time to get cracking on that sauce. Start things off with a little oil in a hot pan — as always. Then, go in with your artichokes and spinach. That’s where this recipe gets a bit different: I use both frozen spinach AND frozen artichokes. Personally, I think frozen artichokes are one of the world’s best kept secrets. They’re less briney, squishy, and slimy than the jarred variety, and are super easy to work with. Simply throw your frozen spinach and artichokes into the hot skillet and let them cook down. There’s no need to let them thaw out first! As a matter of fact, I love the messy texture of the artichokes when you break them up with a wooden spoon as their cooking, as opposed to a more uniform chop.
Once your veggies are underway, it’s time to throw in all that flavor. I’m talking 4 whole cloves of freshly chopped garlic, tons of red pepper flakes (if you’re a spice addict, like me), and then of course some salt and pepper. This Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Meatballs recipe is super simple on the seasonings, mostly because you already get so much good flavor in there with your wet ingredients.
so creamy…
Speaking of which, the next step for your sauce is to throw in the greek yogurt, mozzarella, parmesan, cream cheese, and milk. While your typical spinach artichoke dip calls for mayonnaise, almost double the amount of shredded cheese, a whole block of cream cheese, and heavy cream, this recipe offers a much lighter approach — making for the perfect weeknight dinner. Really, though, you don’t need to go overboard with the gut-killing dairy. With just a quick stir of these ingredients, you get the most delicious, creamy, vegetable packed sauce. Plus, with a little worcestershire and lemon juice thrown into the mix? The flavors are out of this world.
super simple!!
Once your sauce has cooked down, and your meatballs are nice and crisp, it’s time to throw it all together in your skillet. Give it a few minutes to allow that sauce to fold all around those meatballs and you’re good to go! All there’s left to do is serve that saucy goodness over some saffron rice and top everything off with some fresh parsley and chips of choice! Saffron rice may seem like a peculiar choice, but, trust me, it’s seriously an amazing compliment of flavors. You could also use a classic yellow rice, brown rice, couscous, or even a pasta. Orzo would be particularly delicious with this one!
This Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Meatballs is truly one of my favorite easy dinners. It can be whipped up in just about 30 minutes and truly pleases the whole family. Plus, it requires barely any fresh produce — perfect for those winter months. As a matter of fact, I got all of the groceries I needed at Target! There’s truly nothing to not love about this one!
I hope you love this Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Meatballs as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))
Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Meatballs
Course: Main Course, BowlCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes20
minutes35
minutesThe creamy, cheesy spinach and artichoke dip we all know and love lightened up and served over a bed of yellow rice with ALL the crispy chips: these Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Meatballs are truly the coziest, easy dinner.
Ingredients
- chicken meatballs:
1 lb ground chicken
½ a finely grated zucchini, ringed of all water with a towel*
1 egg, beaten
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp salt
A pinch of red pepper flakes
- spinach artichoke sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz (2-3 cups) frozen spinach
12 oz artichoke hearts (2-3 cups), frozen*
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
¾ cup plain greek yogurt
½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded (or nutritional yeast)
3 oz low-fat cream cheese
½ cup milk (or a dairy-free alternative)
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- assembly:
1-2 cups saffron rice, to serve
Fresh parsley, to serve
Crumbled tortilla or pita chips, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a greased wire baking rack on top.
- In a medium bowl, mix all of the chicken meatball ingredients until well combined. Roll the mixture into 14-16 1-2 inch balls and place on the greased baking rack. Spray or drizzle each meatball with olive oil. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for about 18 minutes. Then, switch the oven to broil and broil for another 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, toss in the frozen spinach and artichokes. Saute for 4-5 minutes, breaking up the artichokes with a wooden spoon as you go. Then, toss in the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional 30 seconds. Stir in the yogurt, mozzarella, parmesan, and cream cheese, and milk and cook for another minute, or until a sauce starts to form. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the lemon juice and worcestershire sauce.
- Once the meatballs are done, nestle them back into the sauce and cook everything for 2-3 more minutes. Melt more cheese on top, if desired.
- Spoon some saffron rice into each bowl. Layer with some of the spinach and artichoke saucy chicken meatballs, and finish with fresh parsley and crumbled pita or tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you can only find jarred artichokes, you can use them the same way as the frozen variety. The only change I would make would be to roughly chop up the artichoke hearts before tossing them into the skillet.