Since the Covid lockdown, I haven’t been able to go to IKEA® where they serve delicious veggie balls. So in the true self-assemble spirit that makes it so famous, I set out to make a clone. Mine are even better. The original has pea protein and kale, which I find expensive and gross, respectively. I made some changes to make it easier on the wallet and taste buds, then bake them. Some assembly required. Serve bowl-style with rice and your favorite sauce.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup diced white onion
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon water, or more as needed
- ¾ cup cooked spinach
- 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
- 1/2 cup red lentil flour
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ⅛ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons garlic and onion seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
Directions:
Heat vegetable broth in a skillet over medium heat; add diced onion, carrots, and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add corn and peas. Cook until the corn and peas are warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add water if needed to keep it from burning. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Squeeze cooked spinach to drain. Pulse chickpeas and drained spinach together in the bowl of a food processor 3 times. Add red lentil flour, chickpea flour, yeast, parsley, seasoning, sage, turmeric, and white pepper. Pulse another 3 times. Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the food processor. Pulse 5 more times. The final result should leave the chickpeas coarse and the vegetables and herbs chunky with visible pieces of bell pepper, corn kernels, and peas.
Mix dough by hand to ensure all the seasoning, flours, and vegetables are fully incorporated. The dough should be sticky, not dry. Add a bit of chickpea liquid if necessary. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Scoop out dough to make 30 balls, arranging them on the prepared baking sheet with about an inch separation.
Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Preparation time: 45 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 6 – Yield: 30 veggie balls
Nutrition:
Calories:162.6
