Swedish chickpea meatballs put a vegetarian spin on a classic Midwestern comfort food. Seasoned with nutmeg and allspice, the chickpea meatballs are hearty and savory. The generous serving of the rich, warm traditional sauce gives you plenty to serve with egg noodles, rice, or zoodles -- and, of course, a side of lingonberry jam.
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Vegetarian meatballs. Meat-eaters shouldn’t always get to have all the fun. Chickpea meatballs are a clever stand-in for meat because they’re hearty and take on the flavors you mix them with. For anyone avoiding meat who craves a comforting dish from their past, this ought to do the trick.
Easy weeknight dinner. This dish is primarily made with pantry staples. You probably have everything you need to whip this up anytime you are looking for a meatless meal to serve your family.
Midwestern comfort food. Let me be clear, these are not classic Swedish meatballs. But they sure are good. And they’re made in the style of Swedish meatballs. And they’re comforting as all getout.
Lots of creamy gravy. You should know this recipe makes a generous amount of sauce so you'll have plenty to spoon over your noodles or rice.
How to Make Swedish Chickpea Meatballs
Preheat the oven to 375. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Drain and rinse one can of chickpeas. Smash them about half-way so there is still chunky texture in them. Add diced onion, garlic, panko, one egg, salt and pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and parsley.
You can mix them with a spoon, but really the best way is with your hands. Like regular meatballs.
Shape the mixture into meatballs. I use a small ice cream scoop to portion the meatballs, then roll them in my hands.
Place the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
While the meatballs are cooking, make your noodles, rice, or spiralize your zucchini.
Make the Swedish meatball sauce.
Heat a saute pan or deep skillet over medium heat. Add butter. When the butter has melted, add the flour. Stir until the flour has lightly browned. Add the vegetable stock, salt and pepper, soy sauce, and allspice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Stir until the mixture has thickened, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add cream. Stir until combined.
Drop the meatballs into the sauce and stir. See how much sauce there is? You'll have plenty to serve over your noodles, zoodles, or rice. Serve with lingonberry jam.
Swedish Chickpea Meatballs
Ingredients
Chickpea Meatballs
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup white onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup panko
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Swedish Meatball Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ⅔ cup cream, dairy or vegan
- chopped parsley
- lingonberry jam
- noodles, rice, or zoodles
Instructions
Chickpea Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 375. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drain and rinse one can of chickpeas. Smash them about half-way so there is still chunky texture in them. Add diced onion, garlic, panko, one egg, salt and pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and parsley. You can mix them with a spoon, but really the best way is with your hands. Like regular meatballs.
- Shape the mixture into meatballs. I use a small ice cream scoop to portion the meatballs, then roll them in my hands.
- Place the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- While the meatballs are cooking, make your noodles, rice, or spiralize your zucchini.
Swedish Meatball Sauce
- Note: This recipe makes a generous serving of sauce, so you'll have plenty to serve over noodles or rice.
- Heat a saute pan or deep skillet over medium heat. Add butter. When the butter has melted, add the flour. Stir until the flour has lightly browned. Add the vegetable stock, salt and pepper, soy sauce, and allspice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Stir until the mixture has thickened, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add cream. Stir until combined.
- Drop the meatballs into the sauce stir. Serve over noodles, zoodles, or rice and lingonberry jam.
Nutrition
Hungry for More Easy Vegetarian Weeknight Meals?
Spinach & White Bean Veggie Burgers
Recipe Essentials
Silicone Baking Mats
Clean-up after baking meatballs -- chickpea or otherwise -- is easy as can be when you line your baking sheets with silicone baking mats. No scraping or soaking. These are also great for baking cookies :).
Spiralizer
Spinning a zucchini into ribbons or a sweet potato into shoestring fries is so easy with a spiralizer. This is the one I use. It has 3 blades for different size cuts: spaghetti, fettuccine, and ribbons. Easy to use, easy to clean.
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