greek style chickpea meatballs with herb butter fries

On Tuesdays, we eat Greek.

These Greek Style Chickpea Meatballs are no eczema of the vegetarian meatball world: nothing flaky, dry, bland, or skin cell-like from these rounds. Think moist, tender, chock full of flavor from fresh herbs and lemon zest, ideal for smearing through a pool of whipped feta cheese. The Herb Butter Fries are nothing to sneeze at, either, unless you purposely want to sneeze in them so no one else touches their golden, crispy goodness.

Vegetarian meatballs can be a scary expedition, but fear no more – once you accept that they won’t taste exactly like or behave like meat, and require a bit more tender loving care than a proper meatball, you won’t struggle with forming, cooking, and noshing these Greek Style Chickpea Meatballs. Promise.

Key notes:

1. The batter will be quite sticky and wet, but practice some self control and do not continue to add flour to the mixture. Once they bake, the eggs, flour, and panko work together to ensure the ingredients bind and do not fall apart except in that nice way tender goods melt off the fork when sliced.

2. Be generous with cooking fat. Chickpeas contain very little fat themselves, so some of the taste and texture is muted due to this unless you apply some oil. They needn’t be drenched, just nicely sprayed or rubbed and you can use a good-quality extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil for a dose of omega-3s.

3. I don’t understand how people can roast potatoes for 20 minutes and result in super crispy fries. I opt for 40-45 minutes of roasting time to really coax a crunch into the tubers. This may depend on your oven, so check them after 30 minutes, and gauge based on your preferred gradient of hue.

Aside from all that, just have fun, people! Get a little messy, be willing to make errors, and trust me, cooking will feel so much more relaxing and artistic.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you’ve made!

greek style chickpea meatballs with herb garlic fries

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Loads of garden fresh herbs feature in a vegetarian chickpea meatball, and simple baked fries get tossed in a savory butter sauce to finish off the plate.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

1 hour hr

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and dried
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 2-4 tbsp flour
• pinch red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and pepper, to taste

herb butter fries

• 1 pound russet potatoes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano

Instructions

 

• Prep the meatballs. In the bowl of a food processor, blend all ingredients except the flour until a course but cohesive dough forms. If the batter is too sticky to handle, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you are able to reasonably roll it into a ball. I used 4 tablespoons total. Keep in mind the mixture will be somewhat sticky no matter what so I recommend you don't exceed 4 tablespoons else you risk a floury final product. Pour meatball batter into a covered container and set in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes. This will help the adherents absorb more of the liquid.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Roll batter into balls and set with about an inch of space onto the parchment. You may have to wash your hands between every few to ensure you don't lose too much batter to sticking. Trust me, the wetness of the dough makes them more tender! Spray or drizzle the tops generously with oil.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes, flipping once halfway through. While these bake, you can prep your potatoes. Rinse and scrub well then dry thoroughly with paper towels or a clean tea towel. Slice into 1/4 inch matchsticks and set onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Once the meatballs are finished, remove them from the oven and increase temperature to 425 and set potatoes inside. Bake 40-45 minutes, turning once halfway through.
• In the final 10 minutes of the potatoes' roasting time, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes until fragrant and golden. Decrease heat to low and toss in basil, parsley, and oregano. Keep warm. When potatoes are done, toss into herb butter mixture thoroughly to coat.