These savory, Mediterranean inspired chickpea oat balls are an amazing, all-purpose plant based protein! Use them as you would meatballs, pile them onto salads or bowls, or just pop a few of them as a savory snack. They’re a perfect addition to your weekly plant-based meal prep.
Sometimes I’m surprised by the recipes that prove to be most valuable in my kitchen. They’re not always dinner or lunch ideas or other fully composed meals. Oftentimes the recipes I cherish most take the form of a dressing or sauce, a really great dip or spread, or something else that I can use in many different ways to enhance meal after meal as the week goes on.
These savory, Mediterranean chickpea oat balls are a perfect example. I began this past week with every intention of doing a lot of constructive batch cooking and recipe testing. But a long weekend of travel, coupled with a pressing school assignment and some timely work, caught up to me, and the kitchen prep didn’t go as planned.
Still, I made this recipe, and I’m so glad I did, because it has paid off in a number of easy, nutritious meals. So far, I’ve enjoyed the chickpea oat balls on top of pasta for dinner, on top of salads (falafel style!), and as snacks. They are so versatile and tasty, and the fact that my boyfriend can’t stop popping one or two into his mouth as he passes the fridge is a sign, to me, that it won’t be too long before I make another batch.
I guess you could call these a hybrid of vegan meatballs, falafel, and veggie burgers. They start with a simple mixture of sautéed onion, pepper, garlic, and chickpeas, and you mix them up in a food processor with sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, and oregano for some Mediterranean flavor. Roll them into balls, bake them, and you have a few meals’ worth of easy, plant based protein and flavor to play with.
I first envisioned them working in a spaghetti and meatball type situation. I went with go-to combination of pasta, marinara, and freshly chopped arugula (I love the peppery kick of fresh greens in the pasta dish).
The next day, I tried putting leftovers in a lunch grain bowl. It was delicious, and I may even have appreciated the herbs and flavor more more this way.
The chickpea oat balls would also be delicious stuffed into a pita with some tahini dressing, served with a rice pilaf, or mixed with a quinoa or couscous tabouli. They make a terrific, savory snack option, too–perfect for when you’d like something nutritious and with a dose of protein, and easy to transport to work or class.
I’m so excited to make another batch of these, perhaps playing around with some of the seasonings. I’d love to try adding fresh parsley or dill, green onion, or even basil. These days I’m all for recipes that I can rely on and adapt over time!
I hope you enjoy these tasty little morsels, and if you make them, let me know how it goes.
With that, I’m wrapping up a hectic week and looking forward to pausing this weekend for a weekend reading roundup. Enjoy the rest of your week!
xo
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Great! very tasty, love them in the Greek bowl
Glad that you like them, Sandra!
Tried these today and they were delicious! Easy to make and I love the flavor – feels like they will be really versatile. Thanks Gena for another great easy meal prep recipe!
So glad to hear that, Rachel! I find them to be so versatile. Glad you do as well.
Thanks for sharing.
Wow looks so Yummy ๐
I’ll try it tonight,
Thanks Sara
I love this recipe. I’ve been cooking this one up for some years now. great job guys.
Impressive…Cant wait to get back home and try it
look like delicious, how can I test it. i so regrade ๐
Looks yummy and testy. Will try soon. Thanks.
Wow โ these sound great.
I really don’t like meatballs but we make it for my kids. very interesting to put oats in.
Nice recipe. I made it yesterday and my husband liked it.
Loved the recipe!! I adjusted it to my taste (no flax seed and no nutritional yeast) and it worked perfectly. I added a bit of olive oil when I was processing the mixture so I’d have no need to add an egg substitute.
Definitely a recipe to keep!
So glad you like it, Catherine! It’s a favorite of mine.
So I did it using 3 tbsp Chia ‘egg’ and it’s amazing!
I also left out the capsicum (not in season) and subbed it for mushroom, coriander and watercress, to even out the flesh and moisture content. And I didn’t have sundried tomatoes so I dried some tinned ones off in the oven.
I couldn’t roll them straight away so I put them in the fridge and I must say they are much easier to roll: a lot less sticky!
Thanks for your recipe, these are going in my recipe book for sure ๐
Yus this looks epic! About to undergo the challenge as I have everything in my pantry… except flaxseed. It looks like it’s used mainly as a binder, so I’m going to use ground hydrated Chia instead. If anyone can confirm if this will work before I take the plunge let me know, otherwise I’ll let you all know how it goes ๐
Hi Cat!
Chia ought to work very well. I haven’t tried it, but I’m confident you’ll have good results. Hope you like the recipe!
๐
Wow – these sound great. A really good hybrid!
Chickpea oat balls are my favorite…I love them..And since this recipe has lots of oat balls in it..this recipe becomes my favorite too…Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
These are so versatile! I love making bean balls or patties to keep in the fridge for easy, quick meals. You can really do anything with them! I’m a sucker for falafel, so these have me hooked!
That is a good recipe. Can’t wait until tomorrow. Will make it today and taste.
These are gorgeous!
Will definitely be making these sometime soon!
Izzy | https://plantbasedizzy.wordpress.com/
What a great idea. Such a versatile recipe!
These are so cute! Like little falafel…but dare I say…better ๐
These sound really good. Is there anything you can sub for the nutritional yeast? Not a fan of it.
Hi Laurie,
Sure. I’d substitute a pinch extra salt (to taste, beyond what’s recommended) and 3 tablespoons chickpea four to help replace the binding/dryness that the nutritional yeast adds. I hope it works out!
G
These look beyond handy.
I used to use oats and oat flour in tons of savory thingsโI always loved their gentle flavor and their ability to boost binding. But I let them drift aside while I explored some of the other fun options I’d been ignoring during my first several years as a vegan (hi, vital wheat gluten). This is a great reminder that the old standbys shouldn’t be forgotten. Thanks thanks thanks.