How to Make Vegan Chickpea Meatballs
Step #1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Line a sheet pan with foil and set it aside. If you search for meatless meatball recipes, you will find recipes for farro balls or farro meatballs, flaxseed meatballs, and chickpea meatballs. So, I have worked some magic to make these the best meatless meatballs made from all of those: farro, flaxseed, chickpeas, as well as oats, and plenty of seasoning. The one ingredient that you might not be familiar with is the flax meal. You may have seen recipes (vegan recipes, in particular) that call for a “flax egg.” A flax egg is just 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. It’s sometimes used as an egg replacement in baking, but baking with those kinds of substitutes requires knowledge of chemistry, and I’m just not there yet. These vegan meatballs are made with sriracha, ginger, and hot sesame oil to give them a nice zing – I made them to use in Vegan Meatball Bahn Mi, so I wanted the flavor profile to fit with these Vietnamese sandwiches. Step #2: Combine the flax seed meal with 3 tablespoons of water; stir and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Step #3: Place the chickpeas, farro, oats, garlic, ginger, salt, sesame oil, and sriracha in the bowl of a large food processor or blender. Pour in the rested flax mixture (“flax egg”) and pulse until the ingredients are just combined. You may need to pause to scrape down the bowl periodically. Step #4: Roll the mixture into one-tablespoon balls (about 14 to 16 total). Bake on the foil-lined sheet for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm and lightly crisped. To reheat, warm the meatballs in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10-15 minutes or microwave on medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
