#FastFoodFriday Bratballs & Cabbage

That's right--meatballs made with bratwurst. Only bratwurst. What? How? Well, there's a handy-dandy technique, which, although I think I've discovered it, has probably been done by others. It involves opening a 1 lb pack of bratwurst and, using your thumb and middle finger, pinching and pulling off a meatball-sized bit of the sausage. Genius, I know! Insert emoji expressing humility. Back to this method. I use it with Italian sausage also to speed up my Italian food craving in a hurry meals. Genius! I told you. So, once you've got these bratballs, then what do you do? Read on.

Looks fancy and time-consuming. Not!

Ingredients
4-6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 cabbage cored and cut into large chunks (to yield 12+ cups)*
1 lb bratwurst (that's five links) pinched into smallish meatballs
1 (10 oz) bag of prewashed spinach
1 cup water
Freshly ground black pepper
NO SALT

*Pull off all outer leaves and any that look discolored, a.k.a., if the leaves are limp or yucky, remove them and toss into your composting device.

Okay, so no salt? That's right. It's interesting how a conceived hardship often reveals something good. In March of last year, my Dewey was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. We are all good now and back to normal, no meds and fully active, but during this time I was looking for ways to prepare meals with a very low sodium content. Bratwurst is VERY high in sodium, and when you're allowed one teaspoon per day, you don't eat bratwurst...unless. Yes, I experimented with this dish, and it became clear that this dish didn't need any added salt. There was enough in the bratwurst to season an entire pot of cabbage and a big bag of spinach. This was a great awakening of the palate (and mind) because you get enough salt to provide a contrast to the sweetness of the cabbage and spinach.

Needless to say, perhaps, this dish is loaded with nutrition and it's extremely satisfying. And, now that we're not as concerned about salt intake, we still prepare it without salt--there's enough in the condiments that we serve on the side.

Okay, you've got the ingredients. Now I'm going to try something new. No instructions, other than a little guidance here and there. All of the instruction will come from the following photos. Let me know if you have questions.

Obviously, olive oil and onion cook until softened.

Stir gently to distribute the bratballs among the cabbage. Add water. Cover with lid.

Cook with lid on for about ten minutes, until the bratballs are cooked through

You may have to add the spinach in batches

With the last batch, put the lid on and cook for no more than three minutes

When it looks like this, dish it out and serve with condiments

Admire the fruit of your labor

Beet horseradish, horseradish sauce & fabulous mustard

Yummm!!!