Today we want to show you how to make Oven Baked Vegan Kibbeh Balls, a healthier version of the classic Middle Eastern meatball. They’re crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a wonderfully flavored vegetable filling. We are sure you will love them!
Our kibbeh balls are made with an outer layer of bulgur paste wrapped around a delicious chickpea filling. We made the coating with soaked bulgur wheat mixed with chickpeas and flour and the filling with chickpeas fried with onions, walnuts, parsley and dates. Then we seasoned everything with an aromatic blend of allspice, cinnamon and cumin.
If you’ve never made kibbeh balls before, we’ll explain step by step how to form, fill and seal them to give them their shape characteristic torpedo shape. Then they just need to be baked in the oven until crispy and golden brown. So delicious!
Classic kibbeh is a very popular dish in the Middle East, especially in Lebanon and Syria, and the word kibbeh means “sphere” in Arabic. The basic ingredients include bulgur wheat, ground lamb, onions, spices and sometimes pine nuts. They are pounded together into a paste that can be used in a variety of ways: layered in a casserole, eaten raw with tomatoes, or made into balls. The balls can either be added to a vegetable soup or fried croquettes.
Our recipe is inspired by the fried version of the kibbeh known as Kibbeh Mahshi. However, instead of using ground beef in the casing and filling like the classic recipe, we opted for chickpeas to make it vegan. Also, we chose to bake the balls in the oven instead of frying them Keep fats down.
A generous serving of three kibbeh balls will do 24% RDI of proteins, 35% RDI of fibersAnd only 15% RDI of fatseverything in it less than 350 calories. These balls make a great appetizer dipped in hummus, tahini sauce, or sumac sauce. You can also put them in a salad bowl and use them to make a balanced meal. We like to wrap them up with a broccoli tabbouleh or a tangerine salad for a delicious lunch box!