Pumpkin meatballs with cheesy heart without eggs

I can provide you with a recipe for vegetarian pumpkin meatballs with a cheesy heart and without eggs. We will use an alternative binder to compensate for the absence of eggs. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• 400 g of cleaned pumpkin
• 150 g of stale bread
• 100 ml of plant-based milk (such as almond or oat)
• 100 g of vegetarian melting cheese (for example, smoked provola or mozzarella)
• 100 g of flour (plus a bit more for breading)
• 50 g of vegetarian grated parmesan
• Chopped fresh parsley to taste
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Nutmeg to taste
• Breadcrumbs as needed
• Olive oil for frying

Preparation

1. Start by cutting the pumpkin into pieces and bake it at 180 °C for about 30 minutes or until it softens. Once cooked, let it cool down and then mash it with a fork until you get a puree.
2. In the meantime, soak the stale bread in the plant-based milk until it softens. Squeeze it well to eliminate excess liquid.
3. Cut the melting cheese into cubes of about 1-2 cm for the “heart” of the meatballs.
4. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, soaked bread, grated cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix until you have a homogeneous mixture.
5. Add flour to the mixture and work it until you have a moldable dough. If it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour.
6. Take a small amount of dough, flatten it slightly in your hand, and place a cube of melting cheese in the center. Close the dough around the cheese, forming a meatball.
7. Roll each meatball first in the flour and then in the breadcrumbs, ensuring they are well coated.
8. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the meatballs until they are golden and crispy on all sides. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and ensure that the oil is hot enough to fry but not burn the meatballs.
9. Drain them on a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.

Serve the pumpkin meatballs hot to enjoy the gooey heart. These meatballs are also delicious accompanied by a fresh salad or a simple tomato sauce.

Curiosity

Pumpkin meatballs are a dish of homemade origin, often prepared in different versions based on local tradition. In Italy, they are appreciated for their versatility and can be adapted to meet the needs of a vegetarian or vegan diet. The gooey cheese heart adds a delicious surprise that makes these meatballs irresistible.