Some time ago I made these chickpea and spinach balls and finally found the time to write the recipe here on the blog. They are really tasty, very light and vegan. Plus, I cooked the spinach very briefly to preserve their nutrients, so they are really healthy balls, perfect as a main course but also to enjoy as an appetizer.
They cost only 1 Weight Watchers point so you can eat a good amount of them. Just add a carbohydrate on the side, and the meal is ready. Let’s make them together…
Here are some other recipes with spinach:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
With this mixture, you can make 21 small balls worth less than 1 WW point using the small ice cream scoop. Or you can divide it into 15 larger balls worth 1 WW point each. For me, the right portion to use as a main dish is 1/3 of the mixture, so 7 small or 5 large ones. Anyway, make them the size you prefer, then divide the total Weight Watchers points by the number of balls to get the WW points per ball.
- 9.35 oz cooked chickpeas
- 7.05 oz spinach (10.58 oz if frozen)
- 2.12 oz breadcrumbs (whole wheat)
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons flaxseeds
- 4 teaspoons water
- 0.34 oz extra virgin olive oil (2 measuring teaspoons)
- as needed spices (cumin, paprika, rosemary, sage, thyme)
- as needed salt
- Total points = 16 WW points
- Points per serving (1/3 of the mixture) = 5 WW points
- Points per ball (21 small balls) = 0.80 WW points
- Points per ball (15 balls)= 1 WW point
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Pan
- Bowls
- Hand blender
- Ice cream scoop
- Air fryer
- Parchment paper
Steps
First, blend the flaxseeds with the hand blender or another powerful blender, add the water, mix, and let rest while you prepare the other ingredients. The seeds will absorb the water and become gelatinous, this will substitute the egg to bind the dough of the balls. It’s also called fake egg or flax egg.
Sauté chopped onion and garlic in 1 teaspoon of oil. Also, add a bit of cumin. Then add the washed and well-drained spinach, or frozen spinach.
Stir and wilt the spinach. For fresh ones, you can even turn off the heat immediately and stir them to wilt, this way they will release less water. If using frozen ones, let all the liquid they release dry up. Let cool.
Place the spinach in the hand blender jug after squeezing them as best as you can when removing them from the pan.
Add the well-rinsed and drained chickpeas, breadcrumbs, spices, the fake egg made with flaxseeds, and a little salt.
Blend to obtain a fairly smooth dough, but if some chickpea pieces remain, that’s fine. Place the dough in the fridge for at least half an hour to firm up.
Put the second teaspoon of oil in a small bowl and shape the balls with oiled hands. The last time I made them, I got 21 using the small 1.18-inch diameter ice cream scoop. In the photo here, they are a bit larger: I had made 15.
Air Fryer: Place all the balls directly in the basket and cook at 320°F for about 20 minutes, shaking the basket after 8 minutes.
Oven: Preheat the oven to 356°F and place all the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning the balls halfway through cooking.
Here are our chickpea and spinach balls ready to serve. What a lovely spice aroma, very inviting! They have a crispy crust and are very soft inside. And they are delicious both hot and cold, so perfect for a packed lunch.
The Dutchman is always the most skeptical when I make balls, a real critic. But he devoured these without a second thought, so they even passed this test… What are you waiting for? Try them and let me know what you think!
Enjoy your meal!
By Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can store the cooked balls in the fridge for 3-4 days and then reheat them at 356°F in the air fryer for a few minutes. I think they can also be frozen, but I haven’t tried.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
If I want to use dry chickpeas, what should I do?
If you want to cook them yourself, soak about 80-100 g of dry chickpeas overnight and then boil them in unsalted water for about 2 hours. If they don’t soften, you can add a pinch of baking soda and cook for another half an hour. Once cooled, you can also remove the skin to make them more digestible. Take the amount you need and freeze the rest.
What can I use instead of chickpeas?
I think any other type of legume would work even though I haven’t personally tried it yet.
