hot honey balsamic glazed chickpea meatballs
Time for ya’ll to see my balls!
Was feeling ballsy one fine weekday, so I turned to an ole favorite of mine: homemade chickpea meatballs. No, they don’t taste like chicken, no, they aren’t quite the same mouthfeel, but they’re one of my favorite mainstays when I’m just craving some type of saucy balls.
I don’t have some lavish backstory about why I brought these balls to the camera’s face. I think I saw a can of chickpeas in my pantry, didn’t know what to do with them in their naked form, and considered thereafter how I might make a meal of a chickpea meatball. That’s kind of how all my recipes come about: random whims and a rapidfire brain-icane (like a hurricane) that suddenly mellows into a series of images and thoughts that actually make sense.
That gave me a strange mental image. Like papers flying around a room in a pattern like a vortex, then settling in a neat pile on the floor about 2 feet in front of me. Be cool if life worked like a cinema effect.
Anywho, kicking off the week with Hot Honey Balsamic Chickpea Meatballs. The sauce was inspired by last year’s Hot Honey Balsamic Salmon. I think the photo flashed up on my Pinterest or something. And it just sounded like a good idea.
Easy peasy, from start to finish in about 35-40 minutes or so. Flavorful vegetarian balls, a sticky-spicy balsamic sauce, and some Brussels sprouts because eating your greens is good for your intestines, yo.
From Chicks to Balls
If you’ve made my chickpea meatballs before, the formula is pretty standard through and through, with some differentiation in the flavorings depending on the nature of the recipe.
Grab your food processor and throw in chickpeas (drained and rinsed, dry em off decently well with some paper towels, too), onion, walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, parmesan, an egg, oregano, and some salt and pepper. If you have a nut allergy, use pumpkin or sunflower seeds, and halve the amount written. You can also swap out for any other nut you have around. I often use pecans.
One little tip: I like the blitz the onion and garlic first in my food processor to create finer chunks, then add everything else and whip as normal. The meatballs have a much more uniform texture with this simple little extra step.
Form the meatballs thereafter. I oil my hands between every few meatballs to prevent them from sticking to my fingers. Prepare for 14-16 meatballs out of a batch. That phrasing sounded oddly ominous.
Prepare for balls.
Fry Thy Balls
Heat some oil in a skillet, and get to searing those balls. My skillet is big enough to accommodate all my balls at once, but if yours is smaller, you may need to work in batches.
When all sides are nice and golden and crisp, move the balls to a plate. Splash in a bit more oil if you need to, then saute your halved Brussels sprouts cut-side down. The golden crispiness of the sprouts is delectable once they’ve caramelized in the fats. If you don’t love Brussels, use broccoli or another sturdy veggie instead.
Next up: sawce. Nothing hard here: balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon, garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, and a bit of cornstarch to thicken it up once it hits the heat. The spices lend the “hot honey” effect we’re going for in the dish. Is it authentic hot honey? No, but it’s reminiscent, and damn fucken good.
Set the meatballs back into the pan, pour in the sauce, and let it simmer down a couple minutes to thicken. I like to spoon the glaze over the meatballs and sprouts instead of tossing everything around. Chickpea meatballs aren’t *quite* as sturdy as regular meatballs, especially when they’re really warm.
Serve it up with rice, or whatever grain you’d like, or salad if you swing that route. Meal preps are just as good the next few days, too, if you need to bounce to the office with a homemade lunch in tow.
Yay, a non-pizza start to the week!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
BALLS BALLS:
Baked French Onion Chickpea Meatballs
Coconut Butter Chickpea Meatballs
Spicy Pesto Chickpea Meatballs All’Arrabbiata
hot honey balsamic chickpea meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, rgated
- 1 large egg
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled, divided
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- steamed rice and herbs, to serve
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chickpeas, onion, walnuts, breadcrumbs, parmesan, egg, 4 cloves of garlic, oregano, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse into a coarse but cohesive batter forms. Oil your hands and roll the batter into meatballs. You should get 14-16 depending on how big your balls are. Tehe.
- Mince the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. In a bowl or jar, whisk or shake the balsamic vinegar, honey, the minced garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and sear 8-10 minutes, turning every minute or two to brown each side. Remove.
- Drizzle another teaspoon or two of olive oil in the pan if it looks to dry. Place the brussels sprouts cut side down into the oil. Sear 3-4 minutes, then sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper and toss for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the meatballs back to the pan. Pour in the sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens and begins to coat the meatballs, about 2-3 minutes. I prefer to use a spoon to toss the sauce over the meatballs, since the balls are more fragile than the male ego (and regular meatballs), rather than flipping the balls around with a spoon or spatula.
- Divide the meatballs and sprouts over rice. Drizzle with extra sauce and garnish with fresh herbs.
