These air fryer polenta balls are perfect for the winter season. Enriched with savoy cabbage and cotechino, they can also become a leftover dish for New Year’s Day. After trying the air fryer polenta, I wanted to try these kinds of polenta dumplings. After cooking polenta in the instant pot, I checked the fridge and found a jar of jar-cooked savoy cabbage and prepared these polenta balls, enriched with cabbage and then browned in the air fryer with crumbled cotechino, grated cheese, and black pepper. Clearly, it’s a rich recipe, in every sense, and at the end of the recipe, I’ll offer some variations and a lighter version.
Now, let’s prepare the air fryer polenta balls!
Also try these air fryer recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients to make polenta balls with leftovers
- 2 cups cooked polenta (very hot)
- 2 1/2 cups savoy cabbage, cooked, boiled
- 8 oz pre-cooked cotechino
- 1 oz Grana Padano DOP
- 3 pinches black pepper
- Half sprig rosemary
- extra virgin olive oil (spray, or a few pats of butter)
What You Need
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Aluminum tray or other heat-conducting material like Teflon
- 1 Ice cream scoop
How to Make Polenta Balls
Open the jar of pre-cooked cabbage and cut it into julienne strips. Add half of the cabbage to the still very hot polenta and mix well.
Let the polenta cool slightly, until you can form the balls.
Scoop the polenta with the ice cream scoop.
With oiled hands, shape the polenta.
Slide the balls onto a plate
and continue until the polenta is finished and let cool.
Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In the lightly greased tray, add the remaining cabbage, crumbled cotechino, and rosemary needles. Mix well.
Arrange the balls and roll them in the seasoning. Grate the cheese on top.
Generously pepper and cook the polenta balls in the air fryer at 392°F for 15 minutes. Serve them hot.
Extra Tips for Polenta Dumplings in Air Fryer
You can replace the cotechino with crumbled sausage. Instead of savoy cabbage, you can use precooked white cabbage.
If you prefer, you can cook the cabbage with instant pot.
Polenta Balls in Sauce in Air Fryer
Make a tomato sauce (you can choose whether to make it in the microwave or with instant pot), arrange the polenta balls, cover them with the sauce, and add plenty of grated cheese. Brown the polenta balls in the air fryer at 356°F for 13 minutes.
