How delicious are these pumpkin and chickpea meatballs? You have to try them to know for yourself; I absolutely love them and they are also very light. They are vegan and gluten-free, made with simple ingredients we have at home and, of course, in autumn when pumpkins are abundant.
You can prepare them in advance and cook them before going to the table. Usually, when I buy pumpkin, I roast it in the air fryer in cubes and then use it for many preparations, like these meatballs. It’s the quickest way for me to prepare them.
They only cost 1 Weight Watchers point each and provide protein and fiber, so they are perfect for a second course. Let’s make them together!
Here are some other recipes for tasty meatballs:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 9 meatballs
- Cooking methods: Air Fryer, Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 7.8 oz cooked chickpeas (alternatively, boil 2.1 oz of soaked dry chickpeas)
- 14.1 oz pumpkin (about 5.3 oz needed when cooked)
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.5 oz sunflower seeds
- to taste fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage (or dried)
- to taste dried garlic, onion, and cumin (mix to taste with these spices, omitting the ones you don't like)
- 2 tbsp water
- to taste salt
- Total Points = 9 WW points
- Points per Meatball = 1 WW point
Tools
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Air Fryer
- Blenders
- Ice Cream Scoop
- Air Fryer Liner
Steps
As always, the first thing to do is measure all the ingredients well so that all steps are easy to follow.
Put the chickpeas, sunflower seeds, herbs, dried spices, and a pinch of salt in the blender jar.
Blend in pulses to chop and mix everything well without making it a puree. This way, small pieces will remain that give more texture to the meatballs.
Cut the pumpkin into cubes and place it directly in the air fryer basket. Roast the pumpkin at 338°F for about 30 minutes.
Add the roasted pumpkin to the blender jar.
Pulse the blender again until you obtain a compact mixture but still with small pieces. If it doesn’t compact, add a little water. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Use an ice cream scoop to form evenly sized meatballs or simply use a spoon. You’ll get 9 if you use the scoop to make large balls.
Shape the meatballs and slightly flatten them. Place an appropriate paper sheet in the air fryer basket or, as I do, use a Teflon sheet cut to size that you can wash and reuse.
Start by cooking the meatballs at 338°F for 8 minutes, pull out the basket and turn the meatballs, but this time there’s no need to use the paper: turn them and put them directly on the basket. Cook them for another 7 minutes or more until you see them nicely golden.
Our pumpkin and chickpea meatballs are ready to go to the table! But if you let them rest a bit, they are even tastier…
These were also liked by the Dutchman who doesn’t favor pumpkin, so I was really pleased.
Serve the pumpkin and chickpea meatballs with a big plate of vegetables and some good whole wheat bread, or you can slightly flatten them and make a wrap with a tortilla or with a piadina adding arugula and tomatoes and a bit of yogurt sauce. And you can also take them to work as they are delicious both hot and cold.
Let me know if you liked them in the comments below or in my Facebook Club.
Enjoy!
By Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can prepare the mixture in advance the day before, leave it in the fridge, and cook the meatballs later.
Once cooked, you can store them in the fridge for 4 days or freeze them and then reheat as needed without thawing.
FAQ
If I want to use dry chickpeas, how do I do it?
If you want to cook them yourself, soak about 2.1 – 2.8 oz 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 skins, making 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 cooked legume would work well, although I personally haven’t tried it yet.
Can I also use the oven?
Of course, you can prepare more meatballs in the oven! I haven’t tried in the oven, but I’m sure that if you preheat the oven to 392°F, bake for 12 minutes, then flip the meatballs and bake for another 12 minutes, it should be fine: you can adjust based on the color of the meatballs, which should be nicely golden.
