Chickpea Meatballs

Name: Chickpea Meatballs
Ingredients: cooked chickpeas; grated Parmesan cheese; nutmeg; rosemary; sage; salt; black pepper; 1 egg (optional); breadcrumbs; provolone cheese; vegetable oil

Enzo Falleti @enzofalleti

Reggio Calabria

Last Sunday, I opened the fridge and realized I had some cooked chickpeas left over from the day before, when I made pasta. I decided to make meatballs with them—a truly respectable vegetarian alternative. In fact, with a few tweaks, they could even be vegan.
Because really, what’s a Sunday without meatballs?

Enzo Falleti @enzofalleti

Saved

Ingredients

cooked chickpeas
grated Parmesan cheese
nutmeg
rosemary
sage
salt
black pepper
1egg (optional)
breadcrumbs
provolone cheese
vegetable oil

Saved

Steps

1

I’m not listing exact amounts, simply because there aren’t any. I just used what I had, making sure the meatball mixture was the right consistency—not too soft, so it would hold together when frying, and not too dry.
2

Blend the chickpeas with an immersion blender. Since they already had some of their own cooking liquid, I didn’t need to add anything. Add finely chopped rosemary and sage, plenty of nutmeg, salt, black pepper, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, and an egg to bind the mixture.
3

Place a few small cubes of provolone cheese in the center of each meatball. Once shaped and sealed, roll the meatballs in breadcrumbs so they become firm.
4

Fry the meatballs in vegetable oil and enjoy them hot, while the provolone is still melty!