Vegan Moroccan Meatball Stew
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Chickpea balls are served over couscous and smothered in a mixture of spiced tomatoes, veggies and apricots to make this cozy vegan Moroccan meatball stew.

Last winter I went crazy with the vegan meatball recipes. I really like vegan meatballs and it seems you guys do too. They’re so versatile and cozy, and I think we all like a change from the usual ways of eating tofu and legumes.

And yes, I’ll be continuing the veggie meatball tradition through this year. One meatball recipe is never enough and I’ve got a bunch of them up my sleeve, so I’m going to just go all out and make all the meatballs.

Also, for just about every variation on the meatball theme I get at least one person asking how they’d adapt the recipe to work with another type of dish. If it’s an Asian meatball recipe someone will want to make it into Italian meatballs. If it’s Italian meatballs someone will ask how to make them Swedish.

So I think I better just cover all the vegan meatball bases so that nobody is without a recipe.

What I love about this particular meatball recipe is that it’s more than a meatball recipe. It’s a complete dinner, based around some meatballs.

The stew is packed with tomatoes, veggies, dried apricot and spices. It could easily be eaten with chickpeas or greens, but I opted to include chickpea meatballs. And then everything gets eaten over couscous, so it ends up being a seriously hearty, comforting meal.

One thing to watch out for: don’t leave the meatballs sitting in the stew! Veggie meatballs don’t have quite the same level of binding that non-veggie meatballs do, so while these are perfectly sturdy, they’ll quickly disintegrate if they stay immersed in liquid for a while. Throw the meatballs into the stew right before serving, and if you think you’ll have leftovers, store everything separate. Better yet, just bake up as many meatballs as you need, and store the leftover chickpea mix in the fridge or freezer.

Vegan Moroccan Meatball Stew

Chickpea balls are served over couscous and smothered in a mixture of spiced tomatoes, veggies and apricots to make this cozy vegan Moroccan meatball stew.

For the Meatballs

• 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, (drained and rinsed)
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ras el hanout (Moroccan spice blend)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Stew

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, (diced)
• 2 medium carrots, (diced)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, (diced)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 teaspoons ras el hanout (Moroccan spice blend)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
• 1 teaspoon harissa sauce (or to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 scallions, (chopped)

For Serving

• 4 cups cooked couscous
• 1/4 cup chopped raw almonds

To Make the Meatballs

1. Preheat the oven to 375° and lightly oil a baking sheet or large oven-safe skillet.

2. Place the chickpeas, panko, onion, ginger, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, and Moroccan spice blend into a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped and well mixed. Be careful not to overdo it—you want to keep some texture from the chickpeas.

3. Transfer the chickpea mixture to a bowl and roll it into 1-inch balls (about 20). Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping once about halfway through cooking, until lightly browned in spots.

To Make the Stew

1. Coat the bottom of a medium pot with oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots, and bell pepper. Sauté until the veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, and ras el hanout and cumin. Continue to sauté for about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.

2. Stir in the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, apricots, harissa, and 1 cup of water. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower heat and allow to cook until the veggies are soft, 30-40 minutes, adding water to the pot as needed when it becomes too dry.

3. Remove the stew from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the mint, cilantro, parsley and scallions.

To Serve

1. Divide the couscous among bowls, the top with meatballs and a ladle the stew overtop. Sprinkle with almonds and extra herbs, if desired. Serve.

Don’t let the meatballs sit in the stew for too long or they’ll fall apart. If you’re going to have leftovers, store the meatballs and the stew separately.

The post Vegan Moroccan Meatball Stew appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.

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