These tasty, filling and high protein vegan meatballs will remind you of falafel. They are so easy to make and perfect for meal prep and batch cooking!
I was amazed at how well these balls were able to stay together well without needing a lot of extra flour or binders.
Why should you eat tempeh?
I often talk about tempeh with clients I counsel in my private practice. It either comes up as a way to add protein in a plant based diet (tempeh has 16g of protein per 3 oz serving). It also has 10% of your iron needs.
Tempeh also comes up in conversations around gut health! Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, however the soy beans are fermented, meaning it is a source of probiotics (healthy gut bacteria).
How to incorporate these meatballs into meals
Add them to salads, make a buddha bowl, add to wraps. In the picture in this post, I served them on top of roasted kale, Brussels sprouts, and spiralized beets, along with some beet hummus.
Tempeh and Chickpea Vegan Meatballs
High protein, easy vegan meatball recipe. Enjoy on a salad, in a wrap or in pasta.
Ingredients
- 8 oz tempeh 1 package
- 1 cup canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seed powder (or any flour)
- 1 tsp pumpkin seed oil (or any oil)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp dried parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp water (if mixture too dry)
Instructions
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Place tempeh, chickpea and spinach in a food processor and mix until well combined. Should form a thick dough. If this is too thick, add about 1 tbsp. Add remainder of ingredients and blend together.
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Form mixture into 1-2 inch diameter balls.
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Heat a skillet or non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Cook balls for a few minutes on one side until golden brown. Flip and cook other side.
Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Andrea Docherty, RD 🙂