Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:

Slaw:

  • 3 tbsp canola oil
  • 2 tbsp EACH lemon juice and red wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp EACH Dijon mustard and liquid honey
  • ½ tsp EACH ground cumin, salt and pepper
  • 2 cups each shredded purple and green cabbage
  • 1 cup carrot matchsticks
  • ½ cup shaved red onion
  • ¼ cup EACH finely chopped parsley and fresh mint

Meatballs:

  • 1 cup no salt added kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ onion, grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp each ground cumin and coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 lb (500 g) extra lean ground beef
  • ¼ cup dried breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 3 whole-wheat pita pockets, toasted

Directions:

  1. Slaw: In a large bowl, whisk oil with lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, honey, cumin, salt and pepper. Add cabbage, carrot and onion; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in parsley and mint.
  2. Meatballs: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). In a large bowl, mash kidney beans with a potato masher until just thoroughly mashed. Add eggs, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander and cinnamon; stir to combine. Add beef, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Gently mix well. Form into 24 meatballs.
  3. Arrange meatballs on a greased foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F (71°C) when inserted into center of meatball. Serve with slaw and toasted pita.

Notes:

Serve with tomato and cucumber slices for a bright and fresh compliment to the meatballs.

Serve with a dollop of assorted dips such as hummus, baba ghanoush or tzatziki.

Replace cabbage and shredded carrot with a bagged coleslaw blend.

Substitute kidney beans with black beans, navy beans or chickpeas.

Trying to sneak the beans in? Use white beans and mash until very smooth – even the pickiest of eaters will never notice!

Recipe source: Think Beef