These vegan cannellini bean and broccoli rabe meatballs are packed with savory, garlicky flavor and are perfect drenched in marinara sauce over spaghetti!
For today's post I've decided to talk about one of my absolute favorite vegetables of all time: broccoli rabe!
During my early twenties I waited tables at an Italian chain restaurant in downtown Philadelphia. It certainly wasn't a favorite job, but I did learn a few things, among them, to avoid chain restaurants when dining out, and of the existence of broccoli rabe. I think I actually went around for the first month or so without any clue as to what the stuff was, thinking it was just broccoli and the "rabe" was an extra bad typo repeated in multiple locations throughout the menu. When a customer finally informed me of my error I felt rather silly. I went right home to cook up some broccoli rabe and mitigate my ignorance.
I'm now delighted to say that broccoli rabe has since become one of my absolute favorite veggies of all time. Emphasis on "one of." I'm sure I'll introduce others later. It's always hard for me to pick one favorite of anything.
I do tend to get stuck in a bit of a rut with broccoli rabe, as it tastes awesome with just garlic and olive oil, which is exactly how I was planning on preparing my most recent bunch, when I realized, what better way to consume some garlic and olive oil than in the form of some veggie meatballs? The white bean flavor mellows out the bitter character of the broccoli rabe really nicely and adds some meatiness to your veggie meatballs. You could make an entire meal out of just the meatballs here (I did) but they're amazing with spaghetti or inside of a big old crusty bread sandwich.
📖 Recipe
Cannellini Bean and Broccoli Rabe Meatballs
Ingredients
- ½ bunch of broccoli rabe, about ¾ pound, stems removed and coarsely chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 14 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- About 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Marinara sauce, for serving (store bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Steam the broccoli rabe for about 5 minutes, until slightly tender. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, and then place it into the bowl of your food processor. Add the onion, garlic, beans, panko, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Pulse until the broccoli rabe is finely chopped and the beans are partially mashed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Shape the mixture into 2 inch balls (you should get about 20-24).
- Lightly coat a baking dish or large oven-safe skillet with olive oil. Place the meatballs in dish or skillet and brush the with some additional olive oil.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, rolling them around about every 10 minutes to get even browning all around.
- Serve with marinara sauce.
Notes
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Very good I added some rice cauliflower to it,
I used broccoli instead, but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Mine are mushing and do not hold a shape. The other thing that might have helped, an actually measurement for the onion(I cup chopped). I used a small onion, but it may not have been small enough. I'll eat them, but I know my husband won't.
Hmmm...sorry to hear that! I don't think the onion is the problem. It's probably either that the mixture was overblended or too much moisture coming from the beans or broccoli. Make sure you keep some texture when blending, drain the beans well, and make sure the broccoli is totally dry before adding it. I hope that helps!
Hi! The calories listed (165) are for 5-6 meatballs? Just want to make sure! Thanks!
That's correct! Assuming you end up with 20 to 24 total. Enjoy!
Delish! Used chickpeas and spinach and they were really good. Used chickpeas because in my head that's what I **thought** the recipe called for (yes, I know the difference...)- but after they went into the oven - I realized I had the wrong bean - but just wanted to report that chickpeas worked as well!
It's funny - I mix up chickpeas and cannellini beans all the time too, and I have no idea why! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and glad to hear it worked out with chickpeas. :)
Exactly how many are in a serving, please? I'm going to try brushing them with the liquid from the can (aquafaba) instead of oil!
About 5-6 meatballs per serving, depending on how many you end up with - the recipe makes 4 servings, so in any event a quarter of the total batch. :)
What! Did I do wrong? Mine are crumbling around and won't hold it shape. It still tastes good but sad it doesn't stay together
Oh no! I can only think of a couple of things (1) too much broccoli rabe, or not breaking it up enough with the food processor, or (2) not enough moisture in the mix, which I could see happening if maybe you used beans that were a little undercooked or a canned variety that's on the dry side (there's some vaiation among brands). I hope that helps!
These sound amazing! My Mom always used to cook with cannelini beans, so I think I would love these :)!
Thanks Amy! I love cannellini beans and grew up eating them too. :)
What is a good substitute for broccoli rabe?
I had a reader comment the other day that spinach worked well. I think kale or chard would work too.
These look absolutely amazing! Can't wait to test them out =)
Thanks so much! Enjoy!!
Do you think I could put these in a crock pot with the tomato sauce and some kind of pasta (such as elbows). I am wondering about making this as a dish to take to a potluck.
Thank you.
I haven't tried that, but a while back my mom did something similar with some quinoa meatballs and I was surprised at how well they held up in the sauce, so I think it could work!
I just popped mine in the oven !!!
Nice! I hope you enjoyed them :)
I've been looking for a veggie meatball recipe, I want to change up that so predictable noodles and tomato sauce meal. So happy I found this!
Yeah, it's really nice to have some protein and veggies to round out a pasta dinner. I used to use store bought veggie meatballs, but homemade are so much tastier (and more fun)! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!
1 3/4 cups cooked or 1 can of cannelloni beans, drained
Is that 1 and 3/4 cups?
Yup - 1 cup + 3/4 cup (the equivalent of a 14 oz. can).