This Polpette alla Fiorentina, or meatballs in spinach and tomato sauce, is loaded with filling and nutritious ingredients, it's a complete meal in a bowl.
Place a large heavy skillet over medium high heat and add a liberal amount of cooking fat, preferably lard or ghee. Sear the meatballs in batches, about 6-8 at a time, until they get nice and browned all around, about 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a large stockpot while you work on the rest of the meatballs.
Once all the meatballs have been seared, add tomatoes, water, tomato paste and spices to the stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook the meatballs for about one hour on a slow simmer, stirring very delicately from time to time. Remove the lid and continue cooking for about 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Kill the heat, add the spinach and very delicately mix it in. Cover the pot and let the dish rest for 5 to 10 minutes until the spinach is completely wilted.