Chickpea Meatballs (with Vegetables and Cheese)

tangled spaghetti with red pepper sauce and chickpea balls on a plate.

5 from 3 votes

Chickpea Meatballs (with Vegetables and Cheese)

Tender vegetarian chickpea meatballs served as a snack or appetizer or with spaghetti and tomato sauce. A super easy recipe that the whole family will love.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 300kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Food processor
Skillet

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 slice of whole wheat bread about 30 g/ 1 oz
⅓ cup vegetarian hard cheese Note 2
¼ cup gouda or cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1 zucchini about 200 g/ 7 oz
1 carrot about 60 g/ 2 oz
1 can chickpeas
1 large egg
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
½ teaspoon dried thyme

For the sauce:

1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves
2 small red bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups tomato puree Note 2
½ cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon black ground pepper

US - EU

Instructions

Meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chop: If the bread is crusty, remove the rind. If it's soft, leave it. You will need about 30 g/1 oz breadcrumbs. Cut the slice of bread into cubes and pulse in the food processor until you obtain breadcrumbs. Transfer to a bowl. Cube all the cheese and process it as well; add it to the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Top and tail zucchini and carrots, peel the carrots. Cut into smaller pieces and process in the food processor until finely chopped. Alternatively, you can grate everything with a box grater.
Mix: Return fresh breadcrumbs and cheese to the food processor. Add the drained chickpeas, dry breadcrumbs, egg, spices, salt, pepper, and blitz until everything is mixed. Don't over blend! The mixture should be finely chopped but not become a paste. Adjust the taste again, be generous with the salt and pepper. If the mix is too wet and you cannot form the balls easily, add 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of breadcrumbs until you can form the balls. Do not add too many extra breadcrumbs; the mixture should be pretty soft.
Form: Brush the mini-muffin pan with olive oil. Form 24 balls about the size of a golf ball.
Bake: Place the balls into the muffin tin and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. In the meantime, make the sauce.

Sauce:

Chop the onion and the garlic cloves finely. Quarter and then slice the bell peppers thinly.
Cook: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and cook the onions until lightly golden, about 3 minutes on medium-low heat. Add garlic and peppers and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until soft, frequently stirring and adding two splashes of water in between to help the vegetable soften and to prevent them from catching. Add paprika, chili, thyme, and stir for 1 minute.
Simmer: Add the strained tomatoes, water, and sugar, stir well. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes. Adjust the taste with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and reheat gently. Serve with pasta.

Notes

Parmesan is fine as well, but it's not vegetarian.
Tomato puree (passata or strained tomatoes), not tomato paste. If using tomato sauce or marinara, which are already flavored, you can leave out the spices (Amazon affiliate link).
The nutrition is calculated without considering the pasta. 6 balls and ¼ of the sauce per serving.

Nutrition