Ready for an easy recipe? Let’s make pea meatballs without potatoes, ricotta, and eggs! You might ask: what’s inside these meatballs? Just peas, simply this as a base ingredient, which we’ll flavor with curry, paprika, salt, and pepper, creating a crispy breading with breadcrumbs and sesame seeds.
To make this recipe lactose-free, I used a lactose-free grated cheese. I used canned peas, but you can easily use frozen peas or fresh peas, when in season, or dried peas after soaking them in advance.
Depending on the peas you choose, you need to boil them and let them cool completely before using them for this recipe. In a nutshell, this recipe is super quick if you use canned peas like I did; otherwise, you need to start the preparation in advance.
I’ll also recommend a dip with Greek yogurt, mustard, and paprika to serve with the meatballs to make them even more delicious. This dip, for those who already know my blog and follow my recipes, I often serve it with grilled vegetables or roast meats. We literally love it and it’s so simple to prepare.
I started eating peas only a few years ago; I didn’t like them at all before. But every year, for several years now, I add a new ingredient to my diet to vary it and especially to enrich the blog with new recipes! So, when I saw the recipe for pea meatballs, I got curious. But I saw recipes with potatoes, with ricotta or with eggs, and instead, I wanted them simple, with just peas as the main and dominant ingredient for taste, flavor, and texture.
So, I started experimenting with a few recipes, eliminating all the ingredients I deemed unnecessary to make crispy pea meatballs that wouldn’t break during cooking. After some trials, here I am with today’s recipe: my recipe for pea meatballs without potatoes, ricotta, and eggs!
Since I started eating peas, I’ve prepared and shared with you many recipes that you can find here on the blog. I’ll highlight my favorites: the cold pea soup, perfect for summer; then the flavorful skillet peas, perfect for any meat or fish main dish; and finally, the couscous with shrimp, peas, and Genovese pesto. Each link here is clickable and will take you directly to the recipe you choose to read.
Remember that I wait for you every morning in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day! An unmissable appointment to start the day with a sweet or savory treat! But now let’s move on to today’s recipe: let’s prepare together the canned pea meatballs without eggs, which don’t break and are super delicious and fragrant!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 10 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring, All Seasons
- Energy 152.41 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 18.56 (g) of which sugars 4.88 (g)
- Proteins 7.25 (g)
- Fat 5.21 (g) of which saturated 1.85 (g)of which unsaturated 1.46 (g)
- Fibers 3.74 (g)
- Sodium 366.18 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 62 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare unbreakable pea meatballs without eggs
For this pea meatball recipe we won’t use eggs, potatoes, or ricotta. We’ll prepare pea meatballs with very few ingredients, making them fragrant, delicious, and crispy with spices, breadcrumbs, and sesame seeds. Cooking is in the oven, but you can choose to fry them in seed oil or cook them in an air fryer.
- 14 oz peas, canned, drained
- 0.5 oz white onion
- 1.75 oz cheese (in my case lactose-free)
- 2 oz breadcrumbs
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 pinch curry
- 1 pinch paprika
- to taste parsley
- to taste breadcrumbs
- to taste sesame seeds
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 5.5 oz Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- to taste parsley
- 1 pinch curry
You can use frozen peas, boiling them in advance and letting them cool for at least an hour before preparing this recipe. You can also use fresh peas, always cooking them first and letting them cool completely. You can also choose dried peas, after soaking them and then boiling them. Again, cook them in advance. In all these cases, you need to prepare the peas by simply boiling them with water and a pinch of salt, then letting them cool at room temperature.
Tools to prepare fragrant and crispy pea meatballs
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Plate
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Oven
- 1 Parchment Paper
Very few tools, just like the few ingredients we are going to use for this recipe.
Steps for the pea meatball recipe without ricotta, potatoes, and eggs
Start the preparation by opening the can of peas, discarding the storage liquid, and rinsing them quickly under the faucet. Then, let them drain to remove the water. Pour the peas into the food processor bowl and add the onion, which you can cut beforehand with a knife to make it easier for the food processor.
Turn on the machine and turn everything into a nice solid puree. Do not add liquids unless necessary; we’re preparing a mixture that we’ll then work with to make the meatballs, so it shouldn’t be smooth or creamy like a soup. Don’t worry if a few peas stay whole: we’ll work the mixture with a spoon, and they won’t be noticed at all.
Place the breadcrumbs and sesame seeds for the external coating of the pea meatballs on a plate. Then pour the puree into a bowl and continue adding the other ingredients: cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, curry, paprika, and parsley.
Place a baking tray on the work surface and cover the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper. Now, with slightly greased hands, or using a spoon, start making the meatballs.
As I make the meatballs, I roll them in the plate with breadcrumbs and sesame and then place them on the parchment paper on the baking tray. Once the pea mixture is finished, I’m ready to proceed with the cooking. Drizzle the meatballs with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and bake them in the center of the oven, letting them bake for 25-30 minutes.
Now the crucial step of this recipe. During cooking, we must never turn the meatballs, or rather, we must not use spoons or anything else, but try to move the meatballs by simply shaking the baking tray, using oven mitts. Do not touch the meatballs, which at this point are hot and fragile in texture. Let them bake and then remove them from the oven, letting them cool for at least 10 minutes on the kitchen counter before serving.
In the meantime, let’s prepare the dip with Greek yogurt, mustard, and paprika. Pour the yogurt into a small bowl, add the teaspoon of mustard, and sprinkle with parsley. Mix everything with the spoon until you get a yellowish, super creamy sauce.
Now I am finally ready to serve the pea meatballs without eggs, potatoes, and ricotta at the table. I can only wish you a good appetite and remind you that I wait for you every day here on my blog with many easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one!
Follow all the indicated steps up to the point where you place the meatballs on the parchment paper. Use a container or tray that can be placed in the refrigerator because we will let them rest for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Then take a non-stick pan, add a bit of extra virgin olive oil, and place the meatballs. Cover with a lid and, on low heat, let them cook for about 10 minutes. Turn them gently with a spoon or, even better, toss them with the handle with quick movements and replace the lid to continue cooking.
Total cooking time in the pan for the pea meatballs: about 30 minutes. They should become golden and crispy on the outside. So toss them several times during cooking to avoid them browning on one side only.
How many times have you thought: how can I get kids to eat legumes? Here’s the solution! Try my recipe for legume meatballs and you’ll see they’ll finish them all! Peas are legumes that often kids don’t eat very willingly, not even many adults, I must say. They are rich in protein and carbohydrates and are good for our body. Fresh is even better, but if you don’t have them and have little time, this recipe for canned pea meatballs is perfect for you!
Storage and variations for the pea meatball recipe:
Storage of pea meatballs: you can store the meatballs in a container with a lid for a couple of days. Of course, you need to make sure they are completely cool. You can keep them in the fridge for a couple of days and then reheat them in a pan.
Variations: if you don’t like curry or paprika, you can replace them with spices you like. For example, cumin, coriander, or simply some parsley or fresh thyme. You can choose to fry the meatballs in seed oil instead of baking them. You can also choose the air fryer to cook the pea meatballs.
If you don’t have lactose intolerance, you can add aged cheese instead of the grated cheese I used. Maybe smoked provolone, flavorful and savory Pecorino Romano, or smoked ricotta. In short, choose the cheese you prefer.
