The light meatballs with pumpkin without eggs are delicious, equally soft and tasty.
The meatballs without eggs are suitable for those with food allergies or intolerances, but also for those who, for health or diet reasons, prefer not to combine different protein sources.
To make the eggless meatballs even softer and lighter, I added pumpkin to the basic ingredients.
You can cook your light meatballs with pumpkin in the oven, in an air fryer, in a pan, or in sauce.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven, Air Fryer, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
For my meatballs, I used:
chosen ground meat, mixed beef and pork, lean first cut – if you want even leaner meatballs, you can use ground white meat such as chicken or turkey, preferably breast.
- pumpkin (pulp)
- to taste water
- 1 bouillon cube (homemade vegetable, optional)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns
- 240 oz ground mixed meat (beef and pork, lean, first cut)
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (or whole wheat breadcrumbs)
- 1 tbsp cheese (grated: caciocavallo or grana or parmesan)
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns
- to taste chopped parsley
To make the eggless meatballs even softer and lighter, I added pumpkin to the basic ingredients.
Suggested Tools
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Immersion Blender
- 1 Bowl
- Spoons measuring
- 1 Dish or tray
Preparation
I added pumpkin in the form of a light pumpkin soup.
Alternatively, you can simply boil the pumpkin and blend or mash it with a fork to 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 pulp – in a tray.
Cut the pulp into pieces or cubes: the smaller they are, the quicker they will cook.
Light pumpkin soup made with water, no cream and no potatoes
Put the pulp in a saucepan and cover just with water.
Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until the pulp becomes tender.
With the heat off, add a vegetable bouillon cube [optional] and stir until dissolved among the pumpkin.
Adjust salt and grind 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 1 tbsp measuring spoon;
– the grated cheese, a 1 tbsp measuring spoon;
– garlic powder [optional];
– a pinch of salt;
– a pinch of pepper;
– chopped parsley if you like;
– pumpkin soup in the amount as needed to achieve a soft but moldable dough, just like when adding eggs;
and mix well until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
With your hands, form balls, compact them by rolling them between your palms and place them on a dish or tray.
To make uniform meatballs, you can use a 7.5 g or 15 g measuring spoon according to the desired size.
You can vary the size and shape to your taste: small or medium, round or flattened.
If you are not in a hurry, refrigerate to firm for at least half an hour.
Your meatballs with pumpkin without eggs are ready to be cooked.
You can cook your light meatballs with pumpkin in the oven, in an air fryer, in a pan, or in sauce.
As this is a minced meat preparation, the meatballs must always be well cooked and not rare to avoid the risk of foodborne diseases from pathogenic microorganisms.
Oven cooking
Preheat the oven.
Bake in a fan oven at 356°F for about 20 minutes.Air fryer cooking
Follow the instructions – program, temperature, and times – indicated in your appliance’s user manual.
Check the degree of cooking from time to time.
For a detailed step-by-step procedure, you can read the complete recipe by clicking on the following link: Meatballs without eggs in air fryer.Cooking in sauce
For a detailed step-by-step procedure, you can read the complete recipe by clicking on the following link: Meatballs without eggs in sauce.In general, cooking times can vary depending on the shape and size of your meatballs.
Turn them halfway through cooking to even out the color.The meatballs are an easy dish to balance with preferably whole carbohydrates [bread, pasta, or rice] and vegetables to compose a balanced meal or single dish that helps keep blood sugar stable.
– meatballs;
– meatloaf;
– burgers and mini burgers;
– fillings and stuffings.
Storage, Tips, and Variations
Meal prep
Prepare the light pumpkin soup in multiple portions to have a convenient stock in the freezer ready for your recipes.
If you wish, you can keep the doses and add an egg.
You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs for a gluten-free version.
You can omit the cheese.
You can flavor the mixture with herbs or spices.
Cooked meatballs can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a couple of days.
You can reheat them in the oven or air fryer.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
You should know!
As this is a minced meat preparation, it must always be well cooked and not rare to avoid the risk of foodborne diseases from pathogenic microorganisms.
On a steak, any contamination remains superficial and is eliminated during cooking.
– for this reason, it is possible to eat a steak rare or lightly cooked.
In minced meat preparations, contamination can spread inside.
– for this reason, when consuming hamburgers, meatballs, or other minced meat dishes, it is important that the cooking is complete and there are no areas of pink or undercooked meat.What meat for meatballs?
– beef;
– pork;
– mixed beef and pork;
– chicken;
– turkey.Meat cuts for meatballs
For light meatballs, ask for a chosen ground meat cut, or a first cut lean meat.
Your trusted butcher will know how to serve you best.
For knowledge, lean meat cuts are:
– topside or round for beef;
– tenderloin or loin for pork;
* the loin is a cut where the lean part is visibly distinct from the fat part, making it easy to trim.Which minced meat for meatballs?
The first cut ground meat is leaner.
The second cut ground meat is fattier.
For light meatballs, choose a first cut ground meat.Pumpkin and diabetes
glycemic index pumpkin of any type IG 75.
Besides the glycemic index, it is important to consider the glycemic load, which is determined by the amount of food consumed.
Pumpkin has a high glycemic index but a low glycemic load.
Can I eat pumpkin? It’s a question you should ask your diabetologist.
Can people with diabetes eat pumpkin? Follow your diet plan; ours includes it.
That said, I leave you my personal notes on the subject.
Usually, in the case of hyperglycemia, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes, pumpkin can be consumed without exceeding portions.
