Kale Mash with Bell Pepper & Meatballs
Sautéed bell pepper and onion, stirred into kale and potato mash. The meatballs are the only thing on this plate that stays separate.
Thirty-one grams of protein and ten grams of fiber from a dinner that takes twenty minutes.
Sautéed bell pepper and onion, stirred into kale and potato mash. The meatballs are the only thing on this plate that stays separate.
Thirty-one grams of protein and ten grams of fiber from a dinner that takes twenty minutes.
Ingredients
- potato 0.5 pound
- kale (frozen) 5 ounces
- bell pepper 1
- onion 0.5
- 96% lean ground beef 3 ounces
- yellow mustard 1 teaspoon
- paprika (ground spice) 1.5 teaspoon
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- milk, 2% reduced fat 2 tablespoons
Method
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Peel the potatoes and cut them into equal pieces. Place them in a pot with plenty of water and bring to a boil. After boiling for 10 minutes, add the kale and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.
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Halve the bell pepper lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut into strips widthwise. Slice the onion into rings.
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In a small bowl, mix the ground beef with mustard, paprika and some pepper and salt. Mix well with your hands and form into small balls.
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Heat half of the oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs all around. Lower the heat and cook them through for about 10 minutes.
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Heat the remaining oil in another pan and sauté the onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes.
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Drain the potatoes and kale and mash them with milk until smooth. Stir in the cooked bell pepper and onion. Season with pepper and salt.
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Serve the kale mash with the meatballs.
After draining the potatoes and kale, return the pot to low heat for about thirty seconds before mashing. The extra moisture from the frozen kale evaporates, leaving a drier base that mashes into a creamier texture with the milk.
Behind this recipe
Is 31 grams of protein enough in one meal?
More than enough. A 2024 systematic review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found no practical upper limit on per-meal protein utilization for muscle building. The traditional thirty-gram ceiling is a myth that the pooled evidence does not support. One caveat: most studies showing diminishing returns above thirty grams used younger, resistance-trained adults — if that describes you, per-meal distribution may matter somewhat more than total daily intake.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use fresh kale instead of frozen?
Yes. Wash it, strip the leaves from the thick ribs, and roughly chop. Add it to the pot about five minutes earlier than the recipe says — fresh kale is not pre-blanched like frozen, so it needs the extra cooking time to soften enough for mashing.
Where do the 10 grams of fiber come from?
Kale and potato together. The 140 grams of frozen kale contributes roughly six grams, and the 227 grams of potato adds about four. Both are whole-food sources that deliver fiber alongside other nutrients rather than as an isolated supplement.
Read the full evidence review
