These quick pan-fried vegetarian meatballs combine canned chickpeas, sliced mushrooms, panko breadcrumbs, onion, egg, and sun-dried tomatoes. Ready in 30 minutes, they’re savory and satisfying, and hold their shape well. Go ahead and make these bite-size veggie-loaded meatballs for dinner tonight!
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until brown and tender, and the water has evaporated from them. With 2-3 minutes remaining with the mushrooms, add the garlic. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
1 - 1 ½ Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, ½ cup yellow onion, 2 cups mushrooms, 3 garlic cloves
In a food processor, add chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, sea salt, white pepper, Italian herb blend, and Worcestershire sauce. Pulse 2-3 times until a very coarse mixture forms.
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tsp fine sea salt, ¼ tsp white pepper, 1 Tablespoon Italian blend herbs, 2 Tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
Add the mostly cooled mushroom mixture and continue pulsing as a more uniform, yet still slightly coarse, mixture forms. If the mushrooms are too hot, they will add extra moisture from the steam.
Add the panko breadcrumbs and pulse until incorporated. Taste test and add additional salt as needed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in whisked eggs until fully incorporated.
1 cup panko, 2 eggs
Optional: place the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes if it seems too warm, depending on how cool the mushrooms are.
Using your hands or a cookie scoop, form and roll 1 - 1 ½ inch meatballs, creating approximately 20-24 balls.
To pan-fry, coat a heavy-duty skillet (I like to use cast iron) in approximately ¼ inch of neutral oil or olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Add the meatballs to the heated oil, being sure to not crowd the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. You may need to gently turn the meatball from underneath so the outside layer doesn't stick on the first side. Continue cooking in batches until all meatballs are cooked.
Vegetable oil
Serve with your favorite tomato sauce as desired, or in your preferred recipe. Do not continue to cook the meatballs in tomato sauce, however. Enjoy!
Notes
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: use the ones that are dry in a pouch (not ones packed in oil). If you do use the oil variety, drain the oil and pat dry first to ensure they don't add too much extra moisture to the mixture. If they're not julienned, roughly chop them to ensure they're mixed in with the food processor.
Want to bake them? Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or baking dish, spreading the meatballs evenly across. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown and a crisp exterior forms.