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plate of vegan meatballs with fork

Healthy Vegan Meatballs with Chickpeas

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 16 reviews
  • Author: Alexis Joseph
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 40 min
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 20 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Main Meals
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Hearty and filling Vegan Meatballs made with nourishing ingredients like chickpeas, mushrooms, and walnuts for the plant-based Italian dinner of your dreams! Gluten-free option and kid-friendly. These freeze beautifully, too! Serve with spaghetti and your favorite red sauce for the perfect weeknight dinner.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 8 oz sliced mushrooms
  • 3 large cloves garlic
  • 1/2 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 15oz can chickpeas or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3/4 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs (I used Italian-style gluten-free panko)

For serving:

  • 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce (plus more if desired)
  • 1 lb spaghetti (whole grain or gluten-free if necessary)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place walnuts and mushrooms on lined/sprayed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and leave oven on.
  2. Combine flax and water in a small bowl, stir, and set aside.
  3. Place garlic and onion in food processor and pulse a few times until chopped. Add beans, Italian seasoning, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and cooked mushrooms and walnuts (they will be hot, that’s okay) and pulse until everything is chopped and mixture will hold together. There should be some texture– it shouldn’t look pureed.
  4. Dump mixture into a bowl and stir in flax mixture and bread crumbs.
  5. Roll mixture into 20 balls (a bit larger than a golf ball). Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve with pasta and marinara, if desired.

Notes

TO FREEZE: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place leftover meatballs on the sheet in an even layer. Freeze and then transfer frozen balls to a baggie and freeze for up to three months.

To reheat, place them in the refrigerator overnight or reheat from frozen in the microwave.