I think it's time for more meatballs. (Or maybe it's always time for more meatballs? I'm not sure.)
I've done Lentil Mushroom Meatballs before and if there's one thing I learned from that post, it's that you guys love meatballs. And that's good, because I do too. In a world full of veggie burgers, veggie meatballs are a little harder to come by, so I think I'm going to make it my personal mission to post as many meatless meatball recipes as I can.
All meatballs! All the time!
Okay, no, that won't happen. So: Some meatballs! Some of the time! Like these broccoli parmesan meatballs.
Broccoli Parmesan Meatballs
Although it's not in the name of the recipe, the star ingredient of these meatballs is ground almonds. You don't want to process them into a flour and you don't want them chunky enough that you know these meatballs are made with nuts--they need to be a coarse crumb. These crumbs are what give my Broccoli Parmesan Meatballs their meaty texture. Well, maybe meaty isn't quite the word I'm looking for, but without the ground almonds, these would be a little soft and mushy. The ground almonds are combined with chopped broccoli and shredded Parmesan cheese, formed into cute little meatballs, and then baked in a mini muffin tin.
Why a mini-muffin tin? Well, it helps the meatballs hold their shape! And it keeps them from rolling all over the place too. If you don't have a mini-muffin tin, don't worry--a regular muffin tin will do just fine. Since this recipe makes 12 meatballs, you might want to double it if you have a meatball lovin' household. (And if it's just you lovin' meatballs, you can still double the recipe and freeze the leftovers--yes, these freeze well!)
Like all of my vegetarian remakes, these broccoli parmesan meatballs aren't really meant to taste like actual meatballs. They just share the shape and function of meaty meatballs. They're much tastier than the bland faux meat versions you can buy at the grocery store and I feel like I can say this with authority because Chris used to be hooked on those things and after I started making them myself, he completely changed his mind.
With the broccoli and Parmesan, these meatballs are an obvious addition to pasta, but we used some of ours to make meatball subs. I put them on a sub roll and topped them with chunky marinara sauce, some shredded cheese, and chopped basil. Broccoli parmesan meatballs are total comfort food.
This post was originally published June 3, 2013
Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw almonds
- 1 large head broccoli cut into florets and steamed (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- Olive oil mister or cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Place the almonds in a food processor. Process until they're coarsely ground (see image in post--it's important to not under- or over-process!). Transfer ground almonds to a medium bowl.
- Now place the broccoli florets in the food processor and pulse until chopped. Add the chopped broccoli, cheese, and garlic to the almonds and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the egg.
- Spray a mini-muffin tin with olive oil or cooking spray. Form the broccoli mixture into 12 balls, squeezing them a little to make sure they hold their shape, and place each one in its own cup in the muffin tin. Bake until meatballs are golden on the outside and heated through, about 20 minutes. Remove tin from oven and run a butter knife along the edges of each muffin cup to loosen meatballs before gently popping them out.
Kristina says
yes please! I love a faux meat ball, and broccoli too. I went through a little meat ball phase too - and Jason just asked when I was going to make them again - perhaps I need to try this recipe...
Kiersten says
Yes! Make more meatballs! And then post the recipes so I can make them! 😀
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
These look awesome! They remind me of arancini. Matter of fact, I might just slip a wee block of mozz or fontina in the middle...don't tell.
Kiersten says
That would definitely be tasty!
Christy@SweetandSavoring says
These 'meatballs' sound totally doable! I never would have thought to use crushed almonds!
Martina says
Ohhh these look fab - I'm totally sick of veggie burgers too so meatballs is a fun idea. I've only been vegetarian for about 5 months now but I'm trying to avoid a lot of meat substitutes so these are a great real food idea.
Love your blog - so many ideas 🙂
Martina
http://snapshotsandwhatnots.typepad.com
dishing up the dirt says
You have officially done it again! I love everything you post here, and these "meatballs" are no exception. Lovely recipe!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Amazing! I love broccoli, even moreso when it's cheesy 🙂 these look great!
Maria Tadic says
I was scrolling thru my RSS feed of blogs, and I saw the title of this and immediately skipped down to it! I LOVE meatballs. There's just something about popping meatballs into your mouth with spaghetti that is SO freaking delicious.
I'm making these....tonight!
Kiersten says
Woo hoo! I hope they turned out well! 😀
skoraq cooks says
I'm so making these "meat"balls 🙂 In a sandiwch they look soooo delicious! yum yum 🙂
Juls says
What parmesan do you use that is made without animal rennet? I haven't been able to find any as of yet.
Kiersten says
I use Organic Valley shredded Parmesan: http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/cheese/parmesan/.
Juls says
Oh yay, thank you..have been having trouble finding any good ones!
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
Yes, I'd love this combination. Thank you!
Alissa N says
Wow, these are incredible looking! I can't believe how simple that list of ingredients is!! Even my hubby just said "did you see those broccoli meatballs? they look awesome!" I'm going to have to make these, you are also so smart for the mini muffin tins!!
Kiersten says
I hope you like them if you make them! 🙂
Caitlin says
these look phenomenal! i love meatless remakes when they DON'T taste like their meaty counterpart 😉
love the idea of using the muffin pan!
Kiersten says
Yeah, I don't like things that taste like meat either. But sometimes I get people complaining, like, "This doesn't taste like beef!!!" Well yeah, it's made with mushrooms. 😉
Sylvia @ reelflavor.com says
These look amazing! I love the use of almonds instead of breadcrumbs - perfect for those that are gluten-free ;). Thanks!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I love these vegetarian meatballs with almonds!
hea says
def giving this a whirl.
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says
i never thought about mini muffin tins - what a brilliant idea and please keep as many meatballs recipe as you can - i love the versatility of it
Dara says
What fabulous meatballs! Almonds and broccoli how healthy and clever.
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
These look awesome! You are inspiring some veggie meatball action for me soon!
Daniela @ FoodrecipesHQ says
Meaty texture thanks to ground almonds... sounds extremely intriguing!
Cynthia says
Do you think these would do well in the freezer? I just made some and it was AWESOME! But now I need more!! If you think they'll be fine in the Freezer- Would you recommend freezing them before or after cooking? Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
Kiersten says
These freeze really well! You'll want to bake them first (so they hold together) and then freeze them after they've cooled. You can reheat them in the microwave (this works best) or pop them back in your mini-muffin tin and heat them at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, until they're warmed through.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love broccoli, these meatballs sound so good!
Alexis @ Hummusapien says
These are so genius! I love sneaking veggies into pretty much everything...especially veggie meatballs!
Sarah says
Thank you for the recipe, I'm intrigued. I'm not necessarily a meatball fan but I live broccoli and almonds! I don't have any fresh broccoli on hand, do you think frozen broccoli steamed would work?
Kiersten says
Yes! Frozen broccoli would work just fine. 🙂
Lisa @ Greek Vegetarian says
Unbelievable. Yesterday I just made your lentil mushroom meatballs. Now I have to make THESE beautiful ones!!
Kiersten says
Ooh, I'm making the Lentil Mushroom Meatballs for dinner tonight! 😀 So! Many! Meatballs!
Samantha says
too good to be true.