If you’re looking for a vegan meatball recipe that’s free from oil and easily made gluten-free, you’ve come to the right place! These Italian-Style Chickpea Balls are packed with flavor and nutritious ingredients!
The base for these meat-free meatballs consists of chickpeas, zucchini, and smoky-sweet roasted red pepper strips.
Then, they’re flavored with nutritional yeast, fresh parsley, garlic, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
To bind them, I used gluten-free breadcrumbs, but you can use whole wheat or panko breadcrumbs if you don’t need them to be gluten-free.
Just be sure to choose an oil-free tomato sauce and oil-free breadcrumbs to keep this recipe oil-free.
These chickpea balls are baked, rather than fried, but still develop some nice browning on both sides in the oven.
You’ll just need to turn them over halfway through cooking.
Serve them with your favorite pasta and oil-free sauce. I used Rummo gluten-free rigatoni and 365 fat-free marinara in the photos.
Lucini also makes an oil-free marinara we love, and most canned tomato sauce is oil-free as well
Tips for Success
- Don’t overprocess. You want to have a workable texture, not a puree. If the mixture is too wet, the balls won’t stay together as they cook.
- Make the balls the same size. I use a #40 disher (1.5-tablespoon scoop) to scoop out the mixture evenly. This ensures they all cook up at the same rate.
- Form with your hands. It’s important to form the balls with your hands, packing the mixture between your palms as you roll to help them hold their shape.
Storage
The chickpea balls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and pop it into your freezer for about an hour.
Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or storage bag and freeze. This will help keep them from sticking to each other.
Watch How to Make Chickpea Meatballs
Italian-Style Chickpea Balls
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup chopped zucchini
- 1/4 cup jarred roasted red pepper strips not including juice (I used Cento chef's cut; if using regular jarred roasted red peppers, cut into thin strips and then measure)
- 1/4 parsley leaves packed
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs oil-free (whole wheat, panko, or gluten-free)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon oil-free marinara or tomato sauce (such as 365 fat-free marinara, Lucini Tuscan tomato marinara with no oil, or canned tomato sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the zucchini, roasted red peppers, garlic, and parsley to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the chickpeas, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, sauce, and seasonings to the veggie mixture in the food processor. Process until everything is well combined and no large chunks remain.
- Use a cookie scoop (I used a #40 disher/1.5-tablespoon scoop) to create 15 similar-sized scoops of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Use your hands to form and roll into balls, packing the mixture between your palms as needed to keep it from falling apart.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then, carefully flip each ball over, and bake for another 15 minutes.
Nutrition
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed.