Meatballs with Butternut Sauce and Cabbage Steaks
Sometimes recipes are born from food just laying around that I need to get rid of. That is the case with this recipe. Gabi bought a butternut squash with plans to use it for a dinner that she was in charge of making. It never happened and this butternut squash just sat on our counter for days.
Finally, it was time to use it. Maybe I could make it into some kind of sauce. I also had a head of green cabbage in the refrigerator that needed to be used. My brother-in-law had made cabbage steaks days before and it gave me a hankering so I thought I would do the same. Butternut sauce sounded good over cabbage steaks. I cut the squash into 1/2 inch cubes and roasted it in the oven for about 25 minutes.
I also thought meatballs would taste good so I made some quick, easy meatballs to go in the sauce. I am not one of those bloggers is that is going to give you step by step instructions here because, ya’ll – that is what the recipe is for – print in out and read it and then make this because it was SO good. The whole family enjoyed it. Also, bonus, it is low carb!
Meatballs with Butternut Sauce and Cabbage Steaks
Easy meatballs in a creamy butternut sauce served over garlic butter cabbage steaks – delicious and low carb.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 lb ground beef you could also do 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground turkey
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
Butternut Sauce
- 1 butternut squash cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 3/4 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
Cabbage Steaks
- 1 head green cabbage
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
Meatballs
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In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix with your hands. Be careful not to over mix. Once mixed, form into 1 inch balls.
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In a 12 inch skillet over medium heat, place meat balls in the pan. Cook on each each side for 1-2 minutes. Cook on all sides until internal temp is 165°F. Take off the heat and set aside.
Butternut Sauce
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Cut the butternut squash into ½ inch cubes. I do this by slicing the neck into ½ inch slices and cutting off the peal. Then cutting those circles into strips and then cubes.
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Place the squash on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour a bit of olive oil over them and salt and pepper. Toss to coat and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes.
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In a 12 inch skillet, pour in diced tomatoes. Add the cardamom, coriander, salt and pepper. Stir and let simmer for 10 minutes. Pour into a blender or food processor* and add the butternut squash. Blend until it is creamy. Add the heavy cream and blend again. Return to the skillet and heat until it begins to boil. Add the meatballs and turn off the heat.
Cabbage Steaks
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While the tomatoes are simmering, slice the cabbage into ¼ inch slices. Set on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
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In a small sauce pan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until garlic is fragrant. Do not let it burn.
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Pour the butter over the cabbage steaks and bake in a 350° oven until tender – 10-20 minutes. I like to turn on the broiler at the end to give it a bit of a crunch on top. Just keep your eye on it, it only takes minute or two.
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To serve, place a cabbage steak on the plate and a scoop of meatballs and sauce on top. Enjoy!
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*I prefer a blender. I think it makes it creamier. My blender was broken when I took these pictures so I used my food processor. It worked just fine, but again, the blender did a better job.
Love watching Sun !