Preparation

• I added the pumpkin in the form of a light pumpkin soup.
  Alternatively, you can simply boil the pumpkin and blend it or mash it with a fork to turn it into a puree.

  Clean the pumpkin
  Wash the pumpkin.
  Cut the pumpkin into slices.
  Remove the skin and seeds.

  Sometimes, for convenience, I buy the pumpkin already cleaned – only the flesh – in a sealed tray.

  Cut the flesh into pieces, cubes, or dice: the smaller they are, the faster they will cook.

  Light pumpkin soup made with water, without cream and without potatoes
  Place the flesh in a saucepan and cover with water.
  Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until the flesh becomes tender.
  With the heat off, add a vegetable bouillon cube [optional] and stir until it dissolves into the pumpkin.
  Adjust salt and grind the pepper.
  Blend with an immersion blender directly in the saucepan until smooth and velvety.

  

• In a bowl, combine:
  – the ground meat;
  – the breadcrumbs or whole wheat breadcrumbs, a 15 g measure or 1 heaping tablespoon;
  – the grated cheese, a 15 g measure or 1 heaping tablespoon;
  – garlic powder [optional];
  – a pinch of salt;
  – a pinch of pepper;
  – chopped parsley if you like;
  – light pumpkin soup in the amount needed to obtain a soft but shapeable mixture, just like when you add eggs;
  and mix the ingredients well until the mixture is homogeneous.

  

• Shape balls with your hands, compact them by rolling between your palms and arrange them on a plate or tray.

  To obtain uniform meatballs you can use a 7.5 g or 15 g scoop depending on the desired size.

  

• You can change the size and shape to taste: small or medium, round or flattened.

  If you are not in a hurry, place them in the fridge to firm up for at least half an hour.

  Your meat and pumpkin meatballs without eggs are ready to cook.

  

• You can cook your meat and pumpkin meatballs light in the oven or in an air fryer, in a skillet, or in sauce.

  Since this is a ground meat preparation, meatballs must always be well cooked and not rare to avoid the risk of foodborne illness from pathogenic microorganisms.

  Oven cooking
  Preheat the oven.
  Bake in a convection oven at 356°F for about 20 minutes.

  Air fryer cooking
  Follow the instructions — program, temperature and times — indicated in the user manual of your appliance.
  Check the degree of doneness from time to time.
  For the step-by-step procedure you can read the full recipe by clicking the following link: Meatballs without eggs in the air fryer.

• Cooking in sauce
  For the step-by-step procedure you can read the full recipe by clicking the following link: Meatballs without eggs in sauce.

  In general, cooking times may vary depending on the shape and size of your meatballs.
  Turn them halfway through cooking to even out the color.

  Meatballs are a main course that pairs easily with carbohydrates preferably wholegrain [bread, pasta or rice] and vegetables so as to compose a balanced meal or one-dish plate that helps keep blood sugar stable.

• – meatballs;
  – meatloaf;
  – hamburger and mini hamburgers;
  – stuffings and fillings.