Name: Spinach Basil Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup red onion (30g); ½ cup low fat cottage cheese (120g); 2 cups spinach (40g); ½ cup basil leaves (10g); 3 frozen garlic cubes (or minced cloves (15g)); 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp oregano; 1 tsp fennel seeds; 1 lb 96% lean ground beef (454g)

These spinach basil meatballs are on the table in 30 minutes, and they only spend 10 of those in the oven. Every serving has 27 grams of protein for just 173 calories, but, fair warning… they’re GREEN. And a little ugly! But a teaspoon of fennel seed gives them that Italian sausage flavor, and the cottage cheese keeps them SO tender. One batch makes about 16, so you’ve got protein ready for pitas, pizzas, bowls, and snacking straight off the pan all week.

If you love sneaking veggies into meatballs, my cottage cheese meatballs and skinny turkey zucchini meatballs use the same idea.

Overhead view of spinach basil meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet with fresh spinach and a bowl of yogurt sauce

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: Spinach Basil Meatballs
Ready In: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 servings (about 4 meatballs each)
Calories: 173 cal
Protein: 27g
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 2.6g
Why You'll Love It: These spinach basil meatballs are made with lean ground beef, cottage cheese, fresh spinach, and basil, with 27 grams of protein per serving and no breadcrumbs. An easy, high-protein bite for bowls, pitas, and pizzas!

High Protein Meatballs Without Breadcrumbs

Most meatball recipes lean on breadcrumbs and an egg to bind everything. These skip both. You blitz the onion, cottage cheese, spinach, basil, garlic, and seasonings into a chunky paste, then mix it into the beef. The paste does all the binding, so the meatballs stay soft and juicy, and they’re naturally gluten free.

Before You Start Cooking

Get out your food processor or blender. Everything except the beef gets blended into a paste first, so have it ready to go.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. These release a little liquid while they bake, and parchment makes cleanup so much easier.
Grab a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop. It keeps the meatballs the same size so they cook evenly, and you’ll get about 16.
Plan to use your broiler. They bake for 10 minutes, then go under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes for color. Stay close, the broiler works fast!
Weigh the batch if you track macros. A serving is 112g, about 4 meatballs. Here’s how I add a recipe to MyFitnessPal. If you’d rather have it all done for you, my macro-friendly meal plans come with complete macros on every recipe, and they’re preloaded into MyFitnessPal, Macros First, and Lose It.

Close-up of baked spinach basil meatballs made with lean ground beef and cottage cheese

Important Ingredients and Substitutions

96% lean ground beef: this is what keeps each serving at just 5 grams of fat. A higher fat blend will work, it just changes the macros.
Low fat cottage cheese: the binder AND a protein boost. To keep these dairy free, swap in a plant-based yogurt or ricotta.
Fresh spinach and basil: 2 cups of spinach and ½ cup of basil leaves. This is where all that green comes from!
Fennel seeds: just 1 teaspoon gives them that classic Italian sausage flavor. Don’t skip it.
Frozen garlic cubes: I use 3 to save on mincing. Fresh minced cloves work too.

How to Make Spinach Basil Meatballs

Preheat. Heat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Blend the green stuff. Add the red onion, cottage cheese, spinach, basil, garlic, salt, oregano, and fennel seeds to a food processor or blender. Process into a chunky paste.
Mix in the beef. Add the paste to a large bowl with the ground beef and combine well. Your hands are the most efficient if you’re up for it! It’ll be green. It’ll be ugly! Ha.
Scoop. Use a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop to form the meatballs and line them up on the baking sheet.
Bake, then broil. Bake for 10 minutes, then broil for 3 to 5 minutes to get some color on top. Pour off any excess liquid before your kids see it!

Sheet pan of high-protein spinach basil meatballs with spinach leaves and yogurt dip

Can You Put Spinach in Meatballs?

YES! In this recipe the spinach gets blended with the cottage cheese and basil, so it becomes part of the binder instead of loose leafy bits. You get 2 full cups of spinach in one batch. Just pour off the liquid before your kids see it. Ha.

How to Serve Spinach Basil Meatballs

These are the most flexible protein in my fridge. Here’s how we eat them:

Over pasta or spaghetti squash: pile them on my cottage cheese spaghetti squash marinara or toss them with chicken marinara sauce.
On pizza or flatbread: slice them up and add them to my Caesar salad ground chicken pizza or butternut squash flatbreads.
In pitas: tuck them in a pita with my creamy cucumber salad or Greek chopped kale and lentil salad.
In bowls: swap them in for the protein in my roasted veggie rice bowl.
With a sauce for dipping: my herb yogurt dressing, creamy chimichurri, skinny chipotle sour cream, or dairy-free green sauce.

Need a side? Basil roasted veggies and parmesan smashed broccoli both go great with them.

Spinach basil meatballs fresh out of the oven on a baking sheet

How to Store and Freeze Spinach Basil Meatballs

Fridge: let them cool, then keep them in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then move them to a freezer bag. They’ll keep for about 3 months.
Reheat: warm them in the microwave or in a 350°F oven until heated through. From frozen, thaw them in the fridge overnight first.

Want more make-ahead protein? Check out my macro-friendly freezer meals.

Spinach Basil Meatballs FAQs

Do these meatballs need breadcrumbs or egg?

No! The blended cottage cheese and spinach paste holds them together, so this recipe doesn’t use either one.

Are spinach basil meatballs gluten free?

Yes, they’re naturally gluten free. To make them dairy free too, swap the cottage cheese for a plant-based yogurt or ricotta.

How many calories and how much protein are in a serving?

One serving is 112g, about 4 meatballs, with 173 calories, 27g protein, 5g fat, and 2.6g carbs.

How long do you bake meatballs at 400°F?

These bake for 10 minutes at 400°F, then broil for 3 to 5 minutes to brown the tops.

If you make these spinach basil meatballs, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! It helps others find my blog and hear what real people have to say about it! And come say hi on Instagram, I share what we’re eating all week.