Chickpea Veggie Meatballs! Packed with chickpeas (protein), eggplant, zucchini, flax and more (nutrition and fiber), these are a great option to pack into your child’s lunch!
Watch me compete on Good Morning America with these Chickpea Veggie Meatballs!
It’s that time of the year! Back to school! This summer went by in a flash and here we are! Depending on where you live in the country, your kids may already be back in school. . but nonetheless, packing those back to school lunches are top of mind right now I’m sure!
I’m a really firm believer that kids like variety and we need to mix it up a bit, while still keeping lunch options healthy! My kids love hummus and pretty much anything in meatball form, so these Chickpea Veggie Meatballs were born!
I simply adapted my chickpea burger recipe and it worked like a charm! SO good! If you’re looking for something delicious and healthy to pack for your kids, give this recipe a try! My youngest likes these at room temperature, so there’s no need to heat them up. . and my oldest likes these warm, so simply pack these in an insulated lunch container! These are also make-ahead!
Make Ahead
Prep and bake the meatballs as instructed below and freeze them. Then, whenever you need some meatballs, simply re-heat in a toaster oven or in your oven at 400 degrees for about 15- 20 minutes!
- 2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can of sweet corn, drained
- ½ small onion, roughly chopped
- ½ cup roasted eggplant, roughly chopped
- ½ cup zucchini, roughly chopped
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 heaping cup panko or regular bread crumbs + more if needed
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped + more if needed
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat your oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a food processor, pulse together the chickpeas, corn, onions, roasted eggplant, zucchini, garlic, paprika, ground coriander and cumin until just combined. Do not over pulse, you want to retain some texture for your meatballs.
- Remove mixture from your food processor and into a large sized mixing bowl. Add in the panko, flaxseed meal, lemon zest, beaten egg, parsley and season generously with salt and pepper. Using your hands or a rubber spatula, mix together until combined.
- Shape mixture into balls, about 1 ½ inches in diameter, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until nicely golden brown and crispy on the outside.
- Pack lunch with tahini dipping sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, or hummus with whole wheat pita bread and raw veggie sticks or fruit.
Adapted from this recipe. Click here for the tahini dressing recipe.
Alice! So fun seeing you on TV and I totally love everything about these “meatballs”!
I’m definitely going to make these for my son for easy lunches all week! Love the flavor combination here!
Definitely need to add these to our school lunch rotation!
What a great idea for a school lunch Alice! I’d even go back to school for these!
My mom always used to pack our lunches from scratch as well. I agree it’s important to give some variety and make lunches healthy! Starting good habits early is such a good thing. Congrats again on being on Good Morning America! That must have been so nerve-racking, but fun at the same time. Kids here don’t go back to school until early September, so I keep thinking that the world is just wishing the summer away, but I guess it varies from place to place haha!
Congrats on GMA! I am so happy for you. You looked like a pro up there! And these meatballs sound perfect!
Thank you so much, Tieghan!!
These look so good, Alice! What a great idea for back to school!
I love this recipe and you were amazing on GMA!!
LOVE all the veggies you packed in here!
Does the eggplant or zucchini need to be cooked before you chop it up and add it to the food processor?
hi Karol, yes, I roasted the eggplant (for added flavor!) before pulsing together with the other ingredients. You don’t have to cook the zucchini!! Hope you try this!