Meatless meatballs that are flavor- and protein-packed plus simple to make? Nutrition Stripped presents her ridiculously good, gluten-free chickpea meatballs! These nuggets are great frozen. You can even reheat as a convenient meatless-protein addition to any meal! Prefer a lower carb meal? Serve these meatballs over a bowl of spaghetti squash “noodles.”
Spaghetti Squash & Chickpea Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/3 cup hemp seeds (or flaxseed)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped dry sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- Marinara sauce and fresh basil leaves (optional garnish)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a sharp knife, poke holes all around the entire spaghetti squash. Place the squash directly on the rack of your preheated oven and cook for 45 minutes or until a knife easily goes through the skin. Take out of the oven and slice the squash in half, longways, be careful it’s hot! Scoop the seeds and center out, discard or roast the seeds as an option. Using a fork, gently scrape the sides of the squash until all the flesh is in ribbons. Set aside.
In a medium heated skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and onion. Sauté for 2-4 minutes until they start to soften; add minced garlic with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes until fragrant.
In a food processor or blender, combine the sautéed onions and garlic with nutritional yeast, oats, hemp seeds, chopped walnuts, basil, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, remaining olive oil (2 tablespoons), and chickpeas. Pulse together until the mixture comes.
Pour this mixture out into a large mixing bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste before you start rolling these into about 1 tablespoon balls. Use a little olive oil or water to coat your hands to prevent the chickpea meatballs from sticking, repeat until all of the batter are in balls.
Using the same skillet you sautéed onions in, add in 1 tablespoon olive oil just to cover the bottom of the pan, add chickpea meatballs to cover the bottom and cook on medium until the outside is golden brown, about 5 minutes each side. Be gentle when flipping over each chickpea meatball so it doesn’t lose form. Use a baking sheet with parchment and paper towels to drain any excess oil
To serve: Spoon out spaghetti squash noodles and chickpea meatballs evenly onto 4 plates. If desired, top with your favorite heated marinara sauce and fresh torn basil.
Nutrition Information
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 4 meatballs + 1/4 spaghetti squash noodles
Per serving: Calories: 461; Total Fat: 26g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 11g; Cholesterol: 47mg; Sodium: 470mg; Carbohydrate: 50g; Dietary Fiber: 15g; Sugar: 10g; Protein: 16g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 424mg; Iron: 24%; Vitamin A: 14%; Vitamin C: 25%; Calcium: 13%
Photo courtesy of McKel Hill. Original recipe published on Nutrition Stripped.
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