Meatless Friday: Swedish Chickpeas

Monica Portogallo created a meatless spinoff on Swedish meatballs. Download our printable recipe card.

A Swedish furniture store known for their meatballs opened recently in my town. My son was going on about how much he liked their Swedish meatballs, so I decided to try making them myself, since I had never made them before. I liked them so much, I decided to try creating a meatless version using chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans). The result not only tasted good, but also was ready in less than 30 minutes!

I haven’t tried this variation yet, but I think this recipe could work with other beans or lentils if you don’t like chickpeas. Also, if you want to lower the carbohydrates or increase the vegetables, try serving it over mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes: my friend Jackie has a good recipe if you need one.

Swedish Chickpeas

(serves about 4)

3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable broth
½ cup onion, minced
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or a 15 oz can, rinsed and drained)
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
2-3 cups prepared mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower)

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Mix in the flour with a fork or whisk to form a smooth paste with no lumps.

While continuing to stir/whisk, slowly add the broth to the saucepan. Then, mix in the onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, and salt.

Stir in the chickpeas and simmer for 8-10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Stir in the yogurt and simmer for about 2 minutes longer. Serve over mashed potatoes/cauliflower.