Easy to Make Quinoa and Chickpea Meatballs

These quinoa and chickpea meatballs make a nutricious and light dish that's perfect for vegetarians.

Written and verified by the nutritionist Eliana Delgado Villanueva.

Last update: 27 May, 2022

Are you looking for recipes to replace meat? Do you want to enjoy a more nutritious and filling lunch? If your answers are yes, discover how to make delicious quinoa and chickpea meatballs. This is a light and easy-to-prepare dish that you can include in your diet.

Both quinoa and chickpeas stand out for their high fiber, vitamins, minerals,and antioxidant content. In addition, both foods are low in calories and represent an important source of energy. Best of all, they’re versatile and can be added to many dishes.

Nutritional qualities

The nutrients that quinoa offers

Quinoa’s considered a “superfood” due to its nutritional properties. It’s a gluten-free pseudocereal that also provides significant amounts of protein, vitamin E, and carbohydrates. Other nutrients contained in these seeds are:

• B complex vitamins
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Phosphorus
• Folate
• Iron
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Fats, including omega 3 fatty acids
• Fiber

What do chickpeas bring to the plate?

Chickpeas are well-known legumes throughout the world. Although their popularity is recent, they’ve been cultivated in Middle Eastern countries for thousands of years. Today, they’re valued for their high nutritional value, as they’re an important source of:

• B complex vitamins
• Vitamin E
• Proteins
• Folic acid
• Potassium
• Phosphorus
• Manganese
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Iron
• Healthy fats
• Fiber

Quinoa and chickpea meatballs

After reviewing the properties of these foods, it’s time to learn how to prepare delicious quinoa and chickpea meatballs. Undoubtedly, it’s a nutritious dish that you can add to your diet without remorse. Let’s get to work!

Meatballs Ingredients

• 1 cup of chickpeas (180 g)
• 1 cup of quinoa (200 g)
• ½ cup of breadcrumbs (75 g)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (15 ml)
• 2 teaspoons of cilantro (10 g)
• 1 red pepper
• ½ teaspoon of salt (2 g)
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper (2 g)

Dip Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (30 ml)
• 1 large carrot

Instructions

• To begin, cook the chickpeas until tender.
• Then, add the cooked chickpeas and a clove of garlic in a food processor.
• Blend until a puree is obtained. Next, add a little salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, cook the quinoa.
• Then, incorporate the chickpea puree in a deep bowl and mix it with the quinoa, red bell pepper, bread crumbs, soy sauce, and cilantro.
• Make sure to process everything until you get a uniform and malleable dough. Then put the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• After the recommended time, take pieces of dough and form the meatballs.
• Next, prepare the sauce by mixing the tomato, garlic, onion, carrot, and the cup of vegetable broth.
• Process everything until it is well integrated and transfer it to a frying pan previously heated with olive oil.
• Let the sauce thicken for a couple of minutes and add the meatballs.
• Season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, until the meatballs are ready.
• To finish, serve with brown rice or salad.

Interesting facts about quinoa and chickpeas meatballs

Due to their healthy combination of ingredients, these exquisite meatballs are 100% cholesterol-free. In addition, the final preparation provides only 396 calories. Of course, the amount of calories in your meal varies depending on what you accompany your meatballs with.

If you want to keep the concept of a healthy dish, try to choose healthy options such as vegetable salads, brown rice, or pureed vegetables. Meatballs can be eaten at lunchtime as a substitute for meat. However, if you prefer, they’re also a good option for dinner.

Here’s some more nutritional information about this dish:

• Carbohydrates: 5 g or 23% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA).
• Proteins: 3 g or 35 % of the RDA.
• Lipids: 3 g or 9.6% of the RDA.
• Dietary fiber: 3 g or 23% of the RDA.

Have you already tried quinoa and chickpea meatballs? If you still don’t include them in your regular diet, don’t hesitate to follow this recipe. As you can tell, it is easy to prepare and, above all, very nutritious.