marry me tuscan meatballs
Expect your platonic friends to wave engagement rings at you after a bite of these balls.
Ingredients
chickpea meatballs
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 1/2 yellow onion, halved
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup walnut halves (or another nut)
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
Tuscan sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup julienned sundried tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
- fresh basil, to serve
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, walnuts, breadcrumbs, egg, and parmesan. Pulse until a coarse but cohesive batter forms.
- Roll the batter into "meatballs" and place on a large plate. Rubbing your hands with a bit of olive oil every few balls helps prevent excessive stickage. Ahem...You will likely get between 14-16 balls depending on their individual sizes. Get your goddamn mind out of the gutter, people.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil from the sundried tomato jar in a large skillet over medium. Brown the meatballs for 8-10 minutes, turning every 60-90 seconds to hit each side. Move to a plate.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet. Swirl in the garlic for 30 seconds, then the tomato paste. Pour in the wine and simmer 2-3 minutes until reduced by half.
- Pour in the broth and heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the sundried tomatoes and spinach. Cook until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 minutes or so. Arrange the meatballs in the sauce and baste for another 5 minutes to coat.
- Serve the meatballs over orzo, potatoes, or rice, with lots of sauce and fresh basil!
Notes
*Nut substitute: If you have a nut allergy, that sucks for you. However, the good news is you can swap out the walnuts in the meatballs for 1/2 cup of a seed of choice: think pepitas or sunflower seeds!