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    Sheet Pan Harissa Meatballs and Cabbage

    Updated May 1, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    Smoky, warm, fragrant Middle Eastern spices imbue this simple sheet-pan cabbage-and-meatball dinner with big, bold flavors.

    Sheet Pan Harissa Meatballs with Cabbage

    More quick and easy sheet pan dinners

    What Is Harissa?

    Meatballs are something that we return to again and again as a canvas for flavor experiments. Our inspiration for this recipe is harissa, a North African chili paste that’s full of warm, smoky spices like cumin, coriander, caraway and garlic. It’s spicy, but not insanely hot—mostly, it’s just deeply flavorful. For more great harissa recipes, check out our Easy Harissa Chicken and Honey Harissa Chicken Sheet Pan recipe. And for all things sheet pan, we have gathered all of our favorites – The Best Sheet Pan Dinners. Or, for more meatball recipe ideas, check out our Mediterranean meatballs, our Chicken Meatball Sheet Pan with Veggies & Romesco Sauce and all the rest of our favorite Meatball Recipes!

    ground beef, harissa, garlic, olive oil, spices, cabbage, bread crumbs, eggs, olive oil parsley.

    Ingredients For This Sheet Pan Meatball Recipe

    • Ground beef

    • Herbs and spices: cumin, smoked paprika, parsley and garlic

    • Eggs

    • Breadcrumbs

    • Cabbage

    • Olive oil

    • Harissa

    • Lemon

    • Fresh mint

    ingredients for harissa meatballs in a bowl, ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs and parsley
    ingredients for harissa meatballs mixed up in a bowl, ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs and parsley
    harissa meatballs on a baking sheet
    raw meatballs on a baking sheet with cabbage wedges

    How to Make Sheet Pan Meatballs With Cabbage

    1. Mix the meatballs. Put the ingredients in a large bowl, and mix with your hands, and try to have a light touch.

    2. Roll the meatballs (a 1 or 2 ounce scoop makes this easy).

    3. Bake the harissa meatballs! Nestle the quartered cabbage onto the sheet pan amidst the meatballs, and bake for about 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the cabbage is nicely roasted.

    4. Make the harissa sauce! Just a little harissa paste, fresh lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.

    5. Drizzle the entire sheet pan with harissa sauce.

    Sheet pan Meatballs with Cabbage and Harissa
    Sheet pan Meatballs with Cabbage and Harissa on a plate

    How to Store Leftovers + Tips

    • Wetting your hands before you roll the harissa-spiced meatballs makes this easier.

    • How long to cook meatballs: Cook meatballs until they reach 165°F on a meat thermometer.

    • Leftover meatballs can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. Or they can be formed and then frozen to be baked at a later date.

    • Leftover meatballs and cabbage can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.

    meatballs with cabbage and harissa on a sheet pan
    Sheet pan Meatballs with Cabbage and Harissa on a plate served with Greek yogurt

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    Sheet Pan Harissa Meatballs and Cabbage Recipe

    Updated May 1, 2025

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  8
    • Prep Time:  25 min
    • Cook Time:  35 min
    • Calories:  389
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    Description

    Smoky, warm, fragrant Middle Eastern spices imbue this simple sheet-pan cabbage-and-meatball dinner with big, bold flavors.

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
    • 2 large eggs
    • ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, minced
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
    • 1 small head green cabbage, cored and cut into 1-inch wedges
    • 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup harissa
    • ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
    • ¼ cup fresh mint, leaves
    • Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center position.

    2. In a large bowl, combine the beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, cumin, parsley, garlic, paprika and 1½ teaspoons of the salt. Mix well, then with wet hands, form golf ball–size balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. You should have about 30 meatballs.

    3. Arrange the cabbage wedges on the sheet pan in between the meatballs and brush both meatballs and cabbage with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle the cabbage with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

    4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the harissa, remaining 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and the lemon juice.

    5. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and brush the meatballs with harissa sauce. Place the sheet pan back in the oven and cook until the cabbage is tender and the meatballs reach 165°F on a meat thermometer, about 5 minutes.

    6. Sprinkle with fresh mint and serve with yogurt, if using.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 389
    • Protein 28 g
    • Carbohydrates 14 g
    • Total Fat 26 g
    • Dietary Fiber 3 g
    • Cholesterol 117 mg
    • Sodium 568 mg
    • Total Sugars 4 g

    Sheet Pan Harissa Meatballs and Cabbage

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

    or
    • ApP

      Can you use ground turkey or ground chicken instead?

      Yes, that would work fine, hope you enjoy!

    • Tom

      What can you substitute for harissa if you can't find it!

      You can make Harissa! Check out our Easy Harissa Chicken recipe, instructions for making it are there. Hope you enjoy!

    • Wendy

      what is harissa?

      Harissa is a red chili paste with a spicy, smoky, peppery flavor profile.

    • Meghan

      This was delicious! I used the harissa paste from Trader Joe’s and it was perfect. I had a little bit of the sauce left over so I roasted some chickpeas with it for a side. Wonderful!

      Thanks Meghan, we are so glad you loved it!

    • A

      This was really easy and good! My teenagers ate it! Yes, you do have to backtrack a recipe to make the harissa, but I had everything (except caraway seed - and I used fennel as a substitute), it didn't take long to put together and it was really tasty.

      Thanks, so happy you loved it!

    • Jenn

      I really enjoyed this, I will be making it again!

      Thank you Jenn!