Green Cabbage Arancini Balls

Well this recipe may be odd-sounding but I promise you – it is a good one!! Green Cabbage Arancini Balls. What are they you ask? They are basically a mixture of green cabbage, rice, feta, and some delicious spices fried off in a pan. You can eat them as a “snack ball” or as a main meal. Yum!!

Arancini originally refers to rice balls that are stuffed and then covered in bread crumbs and deep-fried. We are not taking it that far with either the breadcrumbs or the deep frying. However, the rice resemblance made me think of the name.

I only made this recipe on a whim. I brought it along to a picnic and my friends fell in love with it. They basically said you feel like you are eating comfort food but still kind of on the nutritional side 🤣. Since then, I have made them multiple times but only ever used some form of cabbage I had in the fridge. I have made them with kale, savoy cabbage, and bok choy for these pictures. I would presume that Swiss chard will work nicely as well 🥰.

Why are these Green Cabbage Arancini Balls good for me?

Green Cabbage

As said above, you can make these arancini balls with pretty much any green cabbage you like. They have turned out lovely every single time. Obviously, the exact nutritional profile of each individual cabbage will be slightly different but they also have quite a bit in common. Green cabbage contains fiber, vitamin K1, vitamin C, manganese, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Fiber helps your body to eliminate properly as it passes everything nicely through your colon. Additionally, fiber provides a healthy feeding ground for your good gut bacteria. Fiber is also beneficial for your heart health as it can bind “bad” cholesterol and eliminate it through your stool.

Vitamin K1 is an important vitamin that helps with blood clotting and bone metabolism. Without vitamin K in the body, blood would not be able to clot properly and excessive bleeding could occur. In addition, green cabbage also contains a lot of antioxidants. These antioxidants have been shown to reduce chronic inflammation in the body and can reduce certain blood markers for inflammation. As you well know by now, vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant in the body. High levels of vitamin C may lower your risk of certain cancers due to its powerful protection against free radicals in the body.

How can I adjust these Green Cabbage Arancini Balls to my dietary requirements?

This recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, and nut-free. If you would like to make this recipe vegan – simply leave out the egg (I have done this by accident and it works well as well), use vegan-approved cooking oil, and swap feta for vegan feta. Sadly, due to the grains and feta used, this recipe is not for the paleo lifestyle.

Similar Recipes on the Blog

Comfort meets deliciousness meets nutrition. There are loads of recipes on the blog like that 😉. Try some of the following below:

• Jackfruit Fajita Salad
• Spicy Peanut Butter Noodle Salad
• Creamy Baked Cauliflower
• Creamy Lemon Pasta with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Tuscan-Style Tomato and Bread Salad (Panzanella)

And that is it for this week 🤗. I hope you enjoy these delicious Green Cabbage Arancini Balls 😍. In the pictures, I served them with the curry dip from my baked carrots. As always, please let me know how you like the recipe by either commenting below and/or leaving a review. I love hearing from you!! Happy cooking everyone 😋.

Green Cabbage Arancini Balls

5 from 2 votes

Recipe by Ann Robejsek Course: Main, sideCuisine: Italian-inspiredDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Comfort food meets nutrition with these highly delicious Green Cabbage Arancini Balls. Have them as a snack or as a main and enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 70 gr. 70 (1/3 cup) rice

• 150 ml. 150 (2/3 cup) water

• 1 1 white onion

• 3 3 garlic cloves

• 1 tbsp 1 ghee

• 250 gr. 250 green cabbage – see notes*

• 1/4 cup 1/4 (60 ml.) water

• 1 1 egg

• 70 gr. 70 (ca. 1/3 cup) feta

• 45 gr. 45 (1/3 cup) sunflower seeds

• 3 tsp 3 cumin

• 3/4 tsp 3/4 salt

• Pepper to taste

• 95 gr. 95 (3/4cup) oat flour

• Ghee for frying

How to

• Add both the rice and water to a small pot. Cook the rice to package instructions or turn high until the water is boiling and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for ca. 15 minutes or until tender and the water is completely gone
• Meanwhile, finely peel and chop 1 onion, as well as the garlic cloves. Add to a large pan or pot along with the ghee and heat to medium heat. Fry off until translucent or slightly browned. Finely chop the cabbage (removing any large stalks) or whisk through a food processor. Add to the pan along with the water and cook until reduced in size and tender. Take off the heat and add the cooked rice, egg, feta, sunflower seeds, cumin, salt, pepper, and oat flour (simply blend oats into flour). Mix everything well
• Add more ghee to a large frying pan and heat to medium-high heat. With slightly wet hands, roll the Green Cabbage Arancini Balls before frying them from all sides. Serve with a dip of choice (I used this curry dip) and enjoy immediately. Makes about 8 – 9 balls in total.

Notes

• * I have used bok choy, savoy, and kale. I am sure Swiss chard would also work nicely – just use whatever you have on hand.