Serve over linguine with black pepper garlic butter and your favorite vegan parm or simply bake in a hoagie with roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion and melty cashew cheese. No matter which direction you go with these, you’re certainly going the right way. For the traditionalist, soak your garbs overnight but if you’re in a hurry, canned chick peas work just fine.
Refrigerate the leftovers for up to three days in pre-rolled balls or wrap as a mess, skip the sauce and make some sliders or a walnut-encrusted no-meat loaf with sliced Roma tomatoes and fresh basil. This recipe is as versatile as the base bean itself.
Garbanzo and Green Pepper Vegan Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 C Garbanzo beans reserve the liquid
- 1½ T Ground flaxseed
- 6 T Water
- ½ C Breadcrumbs or to taste
- ½ Small onion diced
- ½ Green bell pepper diced
- 4 Crimini mushrooms diced
- 1 Clove garlic minced
- A dash of soy sauce or gluten-free tamari and a drop of vegan hot sauce, optional
- 1 T Dried thyme
- 1 T Oregano
- ½ T Dried tarragon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Mix the flaxseed and water and let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes until thickened.
Drain the chickpeas and skin them. This can be done by rinsing them thoroughly while handling them with your fingers.
Place the chickpeas in a food processor or blender until broken down but not perfectly smooth (the meatballs won’t form properly if over-mixed).
In a large bowl, mix the chickpeas, flaxseed “egg,” onions, green bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, soy sauce (and a drop of vegan hot sauce, optional), thyme, oregano, tarragon and salt and pepper. Mix by hand until combined.
Add the breadcrumbs in increments until the mixture is moist enough to form a ball, but not so moist that it sticks to your hands. If your mixture is too wet, add some bread crumbs. If it’s too dry, add a little of the reserved chickpea juice.
Form the meatballs and place on a greased oven safe dish.
Cook for 40 minutes, uncovered, turning the meatballs over at the halfway mark.
Recipe Notes
*For softer (not crunchy) meatballs, pour a little water at the bottom of the dish, cover with aluminum foil and cook at 300 for about 45 minutes. These vegan meatballs can easily be frozen and thrown in the oven until thawed and heated through. Experiment with different spices and vegetables for different flavor profiles!
