047 / 75 · A Little Meat or Fish

Pork and Oat Meatballs with Cabbage Noodles

16 small meatballs with cabbage noodles; 4 meatballs and one-quarter of the noodles per serving · Active 30 min · Total 55 min

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Hydrated rolled oats help a modest amount of pork become sixteen small meatballs. They are served with egg noodles and browned cabbage, so the meal is divided by its complete portions rather than by meat alone. Cook the meatballs first, then use the same skillet for the cabbage while the noodles boil. A gentle covered finish keeps the meatballs moist.

Jump to ingredients

Small pork and oat meatballs served with cabbage and wide egg noodles.

Give the oats time to soften

The oats need their measured milk before they meet the pork. A short soak keeps dry flakes from drawing moisture out of the meat as it cooks. Add the remaining meatball ingredients and mix just until combined. Small even balls are easier to brown and check than a few oversized ones. Divide the mixture into sixteen portions before rolling if you tend to make the first ones much larger than the last. The oats are part of the formulation; adding an unmeasured extra handful changes the texture and cooking.

One skillet can carry two useful textures

Brown the meatballs, then add a measured splash of water and cover to finish them gently. Ground pork needs a safe center temperature of 160°F/71°C; color alone is unreliable. Move the cooked meatballs to a warm plate and cook the cabbage in the same skillet. Let the cabbage sit briefly between turns so it develops golden edges. The noodles cook in a separate saucepan during this stage. Drain them, keeping a spoonful of cooking water, and toss with the cabbage and butter. Add only enough of that water to help the strands separate, not enough to make a sauce puddle.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats (45 g)
  • 6 tablespoons milk (90 ml)
  • 10 1/2 oz ground pork (300 g)
  • 1 large egg (50 g without shell)
  • 1 small onion (100 g), divided: half finely grated and half thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (2 g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt (4.5 g), divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (0.5 g)
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil (15 ml)
  • 1/2 cup water (120 ml)
  • 8 oz dried egg noodles (225 g)
  • 6 cups shredded green cabbage (400 g)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (28 g)

Set out

Large lidded skillet, Large saucepan, Mixing bowl, Colander, Food thermometer

Allergens

Egg, Milk, Wheat. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Mix oats and milk in the bowl and stand for 10 minutes. Add pork, egg, grated half-onion, paprika, one-third of the salt and the pepper. Mix gently and form 16 equal small meatballs.
  2. Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat. Brown meatballs for 5–6 minutes, turning. Add the measured water, cover and cook gently for 8–10 minutes, until several centers reach 160°F/71°C. Transfer to a warm plate and cover loosely.
  3. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Cook egg noodles according to the packet, usually 7–9 minutes. Reserve a little cooking water, then drain.
  4. While noodles cook, put butter, sliced half-onion and cabbage into the meatball skillet over medium heat. Cook for 10–12 minutes, turning occasionally, until softened with golden edges. Add the remaining salt.
  5. Toss drained noodles with cabbage, adding a tablespoon of reserved cooking water only if needed to separate them. Serve one-quarter of the noodle mixture and four meatballs per portion.

Stretch with a measured ingredient

The oats are weighed and hydrated, and the full noodle-and-cabbage portion is included. Stretching meat works better as a complete recipe than as an instruction to keep adding dry filler.

Ingredient labels

Check oats for wheat cross-contact and noodle labels for additional ingredients.

A useful detail

The listed water finishes the meatballs gently; it is not an unlimited simmering liquid. If it has not mostly evaporated when the meatballs are done, reduce it briefly before adding the cabbage.

Another way

  • Use ground turkey instead of pork at the same weight, but cook its meatballs to 165°F/74°C.
  • Replace egg noodles with the same dry weight of ordinary wheat pasta, following its packet cooking time.

Keep it well

Cool in shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Refrigerate covered at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days. Reheat meatballs and noodles to 165°F/74°C, adding a splash of water and covering while heating. Freeze cooled meatballs separately for up to 2 months.