Pumpkin, Cabbage, and Tuna Meatballs: The Light and Zero Waste Recipe
Are you looking for an original and healthy way to cook cabbage? These meatballs come from the art of creative recycling in the kitchen: an easy, nutritious, and oven-baked second course, ideal for those who want to eat with taste without feeling heavy.
Why try Cabbage and Pumpkin Meatballs?
This recipe is proof that in the kitchen “nothing is wasted”. Created as a variation of my cabbage rolls, these meatballs combine simple ingredients for a surprising result! Meanwhile, the oven cooking is a healthier choice, capable of ensuring lightness without giving up crunchiness. Moreover, the mix of cabbage fiber, pumpkin vitamins, and tuna proteins makes it a nutritious and balanced meal. They will be perfect as a second course, but also as finger food for a buffet or an informal appetizer. Cold, they’ll be ideal for your office “lunch box” or a picnic outside.
For this “zero waste” recipe, I’ve partially replaced potatoes with pumpkin, achieving a velvety texture and a sweeter taste that divinely matches the strong flavor of cabbage and tuna.
If you love experimenting like me, don’t forget to visit the section dedicated to meatballs on the blog: you will find dozens of extravagant and delicious ideas for every occasion! Here are some that might interest you based on seasonality:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 22 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, at no extra cost to you!
- 12 oz cabbage
- 10.5 oz pumpkin (net of waste)
- 1 potato
- 1.75 oz leek (the most tender green part)
- 1 egg
- 2.5 oz Natural Tuna
- 2.5 oz spicy provolone
- 1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (grated)
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds (optional)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (+ to taste)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Salad Spinner
- 1 Knife
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Slotted Spoon
- 1 Colander
- 1 Potato Masher
- 1 Pan
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Parchment Paper
Preparation
Start by washing and peeling the potato. Cut it into chunks and do the same with the pumpkin.
Wash the leek and the cabbage leaves under running water, spin them dry in a salad spinner, then slice the former into very thin rings and the latter into julienne strips.
In a saucepan, boil the diced pumpkin and potato in salted boiling water for about 15′ from the start of boiling or until they appear well-cooked. Alternatively, you can steam them for 20′.
Drain them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a colander to drain completely. At this stage, it is important that they are very dry, otherwise the final result will be compromised.
Mash them while they are still warm with a potato masher until they are reduced to a puree. Usually, I also make sure to remove any residual water before proceeding to mash the cooked vegetables.
In the meantime, while the puree is cooling, in a non-stick pan, stew the leek with a generous drizzle of oil for about 2‘ over low heat.
Then add the cabbage and let it flavor for another 2′.
Add 2-3 ladles of the hot cooking broth from the pumpkin and potato and cover with a lid letting it wilt for 10′.
Remove the lid and let it dry for another 2′-3′, then turn off the heat, adjust the salt and pepper and mix.
Transfer the stewed cabbage along with the potato and pumpkin puree and add the nutmeg.
Now incorporate the egg, the spicy provolone in cubes, the drained and well-shredded tuna, and a pinch of salt.
Also add the grated Parmigiano and mix the mixture evenly with a spoon.
Finally, add the breadcrumbs and the ground flaxseeds to adjust the consistency and mix one last time.
You should obtain a homogeneous mixture. With your hands always well moistened, take small portions of the mixture and form meatballs slightly larger than a walnut.
Place the meatballs thus obtained on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a non-stick baking dish brushed with oil and drizzle with a swirl of oil on the surface before baking them.
Bake in a preheated static oven at 375°F for about 25′, then turn them, lower the temperature to 350°F and continue cooking for another 6′–7′ at most. Remove from the oven and let the meatballs rest for 5 minutes outside the oven before serving. This will allow the flavors to stabilize and the texture to become perfect.
And there you go… the pumpkin, cabbage, and tuna meatballs are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appetit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉Pumpkin, cabbage, and tuna meatballs can be stored in the fridge inside suitable refrigeration containers for a maximum of 2-3 days!
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣Taste Note: if you love aromatic flavors, add a pinch of marjoram or grated lemon peel.
🟣Vegan Version: you can replace the egg with a “chia egg” (soaked chia seeds) and the tuna with mashed chickpeas.
🟣Gourmet Appetizer: serve them accompanied by a yogurt sauce or a light mayonnaise to enhance the sweetness of the pumpkin.
1. Can I substitute the tuna?
Certainly! If you prefer a vegetarian version, you can simply remove the tuna and leave everything else as it is. The cabbage and pumpkin base will remain delicious.
