An alternative to meat balls

Are you vegetarian? Or you simply don’t like normal meat balls? What about trying this new pumpkin balls recipe? It is an alternative option to normal meat balls and it is also sustainable for the environment. They are good as a main dish or as a finger food for an Italian style aperitivo.

Ingredients:

• 500 gr pumpkin
• 100 gr grated parmesan
• 130 gr Breadcrumbs
• 1 Egg
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil seeds for frying

Process:

1. The first step is to peel and wash the pumpkin. Cut it in small pieces and let it boil in water until it reaches a soft consistency (Until you can easily poke it with a fork). The water should cover the pumpkin pieces Image 1. Add the salt while the pumpkin is cooking.
2. Once the pumpkin is cooked, take it away from the stove. Now you can blend it together in a bowl.
3. Now add 100 gr of breadcrumbs, the parmesan and the egg. Knead everything together until all the ingredients are well mixed. Place the other 30 gr of breadcrumbs in a plate and put it aside for later Image 2.
4. Take a tablespoon of dough and round shape it with your hands. Roll it in the breadcrumbs and put it on another plate while you are preparing the other pumpkin balls. Proceed until you finish the dough Image 3.
5. Now heat up some oil for frying (e.g. oil seeds) in a pan. When it’s warm place the pumpkin balls inside. Let them cook on each side until they become golden colored (around 5/10 min per side) Image 4.
6. Now you have your vegetarian pumpkin balls ready to be served Image 5.

Tips:

• You can serve them with some sauce such as Greek yogurt curry sauces, mayonnaise or ketchup.
• I used a butternut pumpkin. However, I suggest to use a cha cha Kabocha, sugar pie or Cinderella type of pumpkin. Image 6, first two pumpkins. You can look at this image to understand the different type of pumpkins clink on this link

Gallery

• Image 1 Pumpkin in the pot

• Image 2 Raw Dough

• Image 3 Round shaped balls

• Image 4 Pumpkin balls in the pan

• Image 5 Ready Pumpkin balls

• Image 6 Type of Pumpkin used