Vegan Zucchini ‘Meatballs’
Ingredients:
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup rolled oats*
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
- 32 ounces marinara
- 8 ounces whole grain pasta
Instructions:
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the drained and rinsed chickpeas, garlic cloves, and rolled oats. Pulse for about 5-10 seconds, until finely chopped. When you press the mixture between your fingers, it should hold together. Transfer to a large bowl along with the dried herbs, salt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and shredded zucchini. Do not use more than 1 cup of shredded zucchini. Stir together until well-combined. If the mixture is too wet to handle, add a little flour (you can grind extra oats into a flour) or nutritional yeast to help absorb excess moisture.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F then line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using your hands, scoop out on heaping tablespoon of the zucchini mixture at a time and roll into 12 separate balls. Arrange on the baking sheet a few inches apart then bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed.
- Once the zucchini balls are light golden brown, remove them from the oven and set aside. Serve warm over cooked pasta with marinara sauce. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!