Saucy Meatballs and Cabbage

As I type this recipe, it is Isru Chag Succos, and I can still taste and smell the stuffed cabbage we ate on Hoshana Rabbah. It was classic, traditional, and tasted very much like my Bubby’s, a”h. These meatballs incorporate the cabbage as part of the meatball mixture. They come out really soft and juicy. Everyone’s fave!

YIELDS ABOUT 35 MEATBALLS, OR 7–8 SERVINGS

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4–5 cups shredded cabbage (approx. 1 lb/450 g)
• 1 tsp salt

SAUCE

• 1 24-oz (680-g) jar pizza sauce (with oregano)
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional, for a sweeter sauce)

MEATBALLS

• 1 lb (450 g) ground meat
• 1 lb (450 g) ground turkey
• 1 egg
• ¹⁄₂ cup almond flour
• salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika, to taste
• 2 pinches oregano

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add onions, cabbage, and salt, and sauté over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat to high in the last minute to give the onions and cabbage a caramel color and flavor.

Halfway through the sautéing time, preheat your Crock-Pot by turning it on low and spraying it with cooking spray.

Mix together the pizza sauce, honey, and lemon juice. Taste and, if desired, add 2 Tbsp brown sugar for a sweeter sauce. (I didn’t.) Add to Crock-Pot.

Mix together the meat, turkey, egg, almond flour, spices, and the onion-cabbage mixture. Form into golf-ball-sized meatballs. Carefully drop into the sauce. Cook on low for 6 hours. (If you’re not home, you can leave it up to 8 hours, but they’re ready after 6.) Note: Meatballs can be frozen.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 716)