Earth Day Veggie Balls

 

Earth day has come and gone, but this recipe, developed in honor of this occasion by our friends at Marabella Meatball Company, is here to stay.  Tasked with finding a with a healthy way to celebrate Earth Day, Marabella's chefs came up with the Veggie Ball, which showcases a variety of ingredients that, well, come from the Earth.  This dovetailed nicely with our pasta theme, so we thought we'd share their recipe.

 

Marabella’s Veggie Balls – yield approx. 15 balls, 2 ½ oz. each

 

INGREDIENTS

Make a base consisting of:

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, chopped

Salt, pepper, parsley to taste

Mix and refrigerate base.

1/4 cup golden raisins, roughly chopped

1/8 cup toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped

4 oz. chick peas rinsed, roughly chopped

1 lb. of cauliflower cooked, cool then roughly chopped

1/2 lb. of broccoli cooked, cool then roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to the refrigerated base. Mix well by hand. Add extra bread crumbs as needed to help form into a ball.

These are very delicate and cannot be rolled but must be ‘shaped’ into a ball.

Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve with marinara sauce, atop pasta if desired.

Do you have any variations on the traditional meatball that you'd be willing to share?  If so, send them our way!

Happy Belated Earth Day.