How To Make Quinoa And Chickpea Meatballs

Are you looking for recipes to replace meat? Want to enjoy a more nutritious and substantial lunch? If your answer is yes, find out how to make delicious quinoa and chickpea meatballs. It’s a light, easy-to-prepare dish that you can include in your diet.

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

nutritional properties

Quinoa Contributions

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

• Complex B vitamins
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Phosphor
• Folate
• Iron
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Fats including omega 3 fatty acids
• Fiber

Chickpea Contributions

Chickpeas are a well-known legume around the world. Although their popularity is recent, they have been cultivated in Middle Eastern countries for thousands of years. Currently, they are valued for their high nutritional value, as they are an important source of:

• Complex B vitamins
• Vitamin E
• Protein
• Folic acid
• Potassium
• Phosphor
• 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 the delicious quinoa and chickpea meatballs. Without a doubt, it’s a nutritious dish that you can add to your diet without remorse. Get to work!

Ingredients for the cookies

• 1 cup of cooked chickpeas (200 g)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 cup of cooked quinoa (200 g)
• 1 red pepper, finely chopped
• ½ cup of breadcrumbs (100 g)

•  tablespoon of soy sauce (15 ml)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro (40 g)
• 1 pinch of salt (2 g)
• 1 pinch black pepper (2 g)

Ingredients for the sauce

• 4 tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of onion (40 g)
• 1 cooked carrot
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (30 ml)

Preparation of quinoa and chickpea meatballs

• Let’s start by cooking the chickpeas until it’s tender.
• Then place the cooked chickpeas and a clove of garlic in the food processor.
• Mix until pureed. Then add some salt and pepper. Reserve.
• In a separate container, cook the quinoa.
• Then place the chickpea puree in a deep bowl and mix with the quinoa, red peppers, breadcrumbs, soy sauce and cilantro.
• Be sure to process everything until you get a smooth, pliable dough. Then place the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

• After the recommended time, take the dough pieces and shape the meatballs.
• Then prepare the sauce by mixing the tomato, garlic, onion, carrot and a cup of vegetable stock.
• Beat everything until it is well integrated and transfer to a pan previously heated with oil.
• Let the sauce thicken for a few minutes and add the meatballs.
• Season with salt and pepper, cook for another 3 or 5 minutes, until the meatballs are done.
• To finish, serve with brown rice or salad.

Interesting information about quinoa and chickpea meatballs

Due to their healthy combination of ingredients, these delicious meatballs are 100% cholesterol free. In addition, the final preparation provides only 396 calories. Of course, the amount of calories varies with the side dishes.

If you want to keep the concept of a healthy dish, opt for healthy options ​​such as vegetable salads, brown rice or vegetable cream. Meatballs can be eaten at lunchtime, as a replacement for meat. However, if you prefer, they are also a good option for dinner.

Below, we share more nutritional information about this dish:

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

Have you ever tried quinoa and chickpea meatballs? If you don’t already include them in your regular diet, be sure to prepare this recipe. As you can see, it ‘s easy to make and, above all, very nutritious.