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.
Courtney @ The Fig Tree says
These are fantastic! Such a great recipe! I've been wanting to make homemade meatballs, because I know the soy based ones we buy are filled with processed crap and salt. *haha* These will definitely be a staple in our weekly menu plan! 🙂
Kiersten says
Yeah, we stopped buying those after I started making them myself. You can make double or triple batches and freeze them--they heat up just like the frozen store-bought ones do. 🙂
Gila says
All I can say is OMG! Easy and delicious. WAY better than the garbage you can buy, disguising as good nutrition. I just dropped them in the shape of mini burgers on a parchment paper covered pan. then after baking I froze them.
Kiersten says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! I love freezing them too--you can't beat homemade convenience food. 🙂
Jessica says
I just wanted to let you know that I made these for dinner last week, served them with pasta & peperonata, and they were delicious! So simple but they had a real wow factor. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
Kiersten says
Thanks for your comment--I'm glad they turned out well for you! 🙂
Maggie Baker says
wondering if you can use panko bread crumbs if you have a nut allergy?
Kiersten Frase says
You could give it a try, but I can't say if it would turn out, since I developed the recipe using almonds.
Cathryn says
Made these last week and they were delicious. Carnivorous husband and small child loved them too - thanks so much!
Kiersten says
I'm glad they were a hit! 🙂
M T says
The only problem with these is that parmesan isn't actually vegetarian. A lot of supermarkets have a cheap "Italian Hard Cheese" which is vegetarian but parmesan is NEVER veggie (in order to be called that, you need to use calf rennet in the production).
Kiersten says
That's a rule in the EU that doesn't apply in the US, where I (and nearly all of my readers) live. In the US, there are domestic cheeses labeled as Parmesan that are made with microbial rennet. Here's the brand I use: http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/cheese/parmesan/.
Kelly says
I gave them another go and they came out perfectly!! I realized that I didn't steam the broccoli last time!! So yum.
Kiersten says
Oh good, I'm so glad they turned out this time! 😀
munchkin says
great idea, looks yummy cant wait to make it
Brenda Williams says
OMG...these sound totally awesome! I have a brand new mini muffin tin and this is just the recipe to break it in:)
livingreen2 says
Yep, these are AMAZING! Just made them last night. They reheated beautifully for my lunch at work. Thanks!
Kiersten says
I'm glad you enjoyed them--thanks for your comment! 🙂
ashlee says
i am out of almonds. would regular breadcrumbs work. I do have Cashews?
Kiersten says
I haven't tried the recipe with breadcrumbs or cashews, so I can't say for sure whether they'd work or not.
felicia says
Looks awesome!! Can these be frozen anyway??
Kiersten says
Yes, they freeze well! Bake them first, then after they've cooled, you can pop them in a freezer bag.
Jennifer says
There's a meatball shop near me that makes similar veggie balls only they use mostly cauliflower. There are whole pine nuts & golden raisins in them too. They're amazing. I need to try your recipe as it's the closest I've seen so far.
Kiersten says
If you try making these with cauliflower, let me know! I'm really curious about how they'd turn out. 🙂
Jennifer says
I finally got around to making these. They’re delicious. So creative. I tried with green cauliflower and a nut mix. Added whole pine nuts & raisins. Think I need more salt. And maybe the green variety of cauliflower is more mild than the white? But good, fun & creative nonetheless. Have you tried with roasted eggplant?
Kiersten says
I think the green variety is crossed with broccoli, right? So yes, I could see it having a milder flavor. It's been quite a while since I've had it myself! And no, I haven't made eggplant meatballs, but I want to soon!
Wendy says
Dinner tonight! If I had any doubts after reading the recipe (which I really didn't) all of these glowing comments closed the deal! 🙂 I found this at the perfect moment. My vegetarian daughter is attempting to go gluten free/ soy free (for health reasons) . This recipe meets ALL of her requirements! Thanks!
Kiersten says
Yay, I hope you enjoy it! And good luck to your daughter--cutting out gluten and soy can be difficult since it's hidden in so many things!
Rina says
My sister sent me the link to these yesterday and made them tonight, YUMMO!! I used cashews in place of the parmesan cheese as my son has a dairy allergy. Will be making these on a regular basis.
Kiersten says
I'm glad they worked out with the cashews--thanks for the feedback!
Melanie says
Holy Shamoly these are tasty! We are not vegetarians but due to my husbands declining health, we are looking for some healthier alternatives. He's a meat and potatoes kind of guy and even HE loves them! We'll be making these again. Added a little Italian seasoning.
Delish! Thanks!
Kiersten says
I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed them! My mom went vegan this year because of health issues she was having and she was able to reverse them through diet alone--changing the way you eat is really tough, but I hope your husband will see results too!
Kirb says
Just made these and they were amazing. Great texture and flavour. Use of mini muffin pan is genius as it ensures a perfect crust.
Made a few slight changes as I didn't have all ingredients on hand:
Only had small broccoli head so used stalk too.
No fresh parmesan, used a combo of tasty and colby plus dried parmesan.
Added about 2 chopped walnuts because they were handy.
Fantastic recipe that I will surely modify a million times and continue to enjoy. Well done!
Kirb says
oh, i added a little feta too, but reduced the added table salt. And I added a few chillis because i love spicy food.
Kiersten says
Thanks for your feedback--I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe! I've heard from others who've added feta too. 🙂
Anne Gazzard says
Have just found your website and am so excited - easy recipes, vegetarian AND vegan, lots of reader input, user friendly website! Am looking forward to cooking many of your recipes - am starting with these yummy meatballs!
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad you found us! 🙂 And I hope you like the recipe! It's one of my favorites.
Laura says
I would like to use these just as an appetizer, is there a good sauce that you would recommend using as a dip?
Kiersten Frase says
I would just use a high-quality marinara--either homemade or store-bought. 🙂
Marci says
loved these, thanks!
Komal says
Hii,
Made these last night and turned out delicous. Simple to make and full of flavor, served with spaghetti with Rao's sauce. Perfect dinner. Thank you for the recipe.
Komal
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your comment--I'm glad you enjoyed them!
rekha says
Hi,
What would you recommend as a substitute for the egg?
Kiersten Frase says
You could try using a flax egg replacer, but it probably wouldn't bind quite as well.
Emily says
Thanks for this recipe!! These were great - I served them with a pasta sauce I already had in the fridge. Taste great leftover too!
Kiersten Frase says
I'm happy to hear they were a success! 🙂
amanda says
I just made these, and they are fabulous! I used my vitamix to chop the almonds, and I think it provided the consistency suggested in the recipe. Since I had it out, I also used the vitamix to chop 3/4 of the broccoli and hand chopped the other 1/4. Because of all this vitamixing, I neglected to steam the broccoli! Ooops! I needed two eggs and one more clove of garlic to make the balls firm enough to stick together. However, they turned out fantastic. I baked them for 25 minutes.
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad they worked out! I've never tried chopping broccoli in my Vitamix before--I am intrigued. 🙂
lori says
what are the orange little pieces?
Kiersten Frase says
They're pieces of cheese that browned in the oven.
Greg says
Delicious! I only had roasted almonds and they worked fine. I also love curry. 1/2 to 3/4 tbs adds a great taste. I also substituted half the Parmesan with oatmeal the 2nd time to lessen that flavor.
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your feedback--I'm glad you enjoyed them!