Vegan meatballs

I am back with a big one for you. My boys love meatballs. But we don’t eat meat often and if we do, always in small portions. So I wanted to come up with vegan meatballs that are as tasty as the OG.

My first attempts of vegan meatballs were definitely edible (for me), but not a big hit for the rest of the family. They didn’t resemble meatballs enough. So I tweaked, altered, read some more and retried until I had it right.

How I make these vegan meatballs?

First: how to get the right texture?

The most important thing is to get the right texture of these meatless meatballs. So I mixed quinoa and beans. Quinoa definitely gives crunch while the beans keep them tender. I just had to get the right balance between the two. And even then I wasn’t 100% satisfied. They were still too mushy. I used my friend Google to look up how to get my beans to be not so mushy. This is what I found out: the key is to extract as much moisture as possible. So after the beans are cooked and drained (check out my beans from scratch or use canned beans instead), transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake them until they crack open and feel dry to the touch.

Sautee the onions and garlic

While the beans are ‘drying’ in the oven, I heat up a large, over-safe skillet over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. Once hot, I add garlic and red onion. Then I sauté them for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

I remove the pan from the heat and add the onions and garlic to the blender (I reserve the pan for later use).

Blend in a high speed blender

The dried beans are blended with herbs, spices, onions and garlic to get a deep flavor.

Now I add the cooked and cooled quinoa, tomato paste, more herbs and optionally a dash of Worcestershire sauce or Lizano sauce (Costa Ricans know what I am talking about) to give it even more flavor. Personally I like to add a few drops of Sriracha sauce as well, but you can totally leave that out if you think you(r kids) can’t bare the heat. Pulse a few more times, but don’t overdo it, it shouldn’t become a puree or paste.

Get rollin’

Use small amounts of the mixture to roll ‘meatballs’. Or better yet, have your kids do it. This is a great way to get them involved in cooking.

Let the meatballs rest in the refrigerator

Now let them rest in the refrigerator for a bit. This is key; they will hold up better this way. So to avoid them falling apart in the pan, don’t skip this step!

Sauté in a skillet and then transfer to the oven

I like my meatless meatballs to have a nice crunch on the outside, but they have to be tender on the inside. To get this, I quickly sauté them in the skillet I used for the onions and garlic and transfer the skillet to the oven to get the ‘meatballs’ cooked all the way to the center.

With or without tomato sauce?

They are great like this (in pita with tzatziki and hummus!), but my kids love them in tomato sauce. So I usually serve these vegan meatballs in my homemade tomato sauce over mashed potatoes. Dinner is ready!

Vegan meatballs, one of our favorite family meals! I really hope you and your family like these meatballs as well. They are:

full of flavor – have great texture – aren’t mushy – so easy to make – and really delicious

These meatballs are so tasty! They pair well with any pasta, rice or mashed potatoes! Or instead of falafel in pita bread. On pizza? Why not? In a quinoa bowl? Irresistible!

Vegan meatballs

Full of flavor vegan meatballs made with beans and quinoa. Great on a sandwich, in a salad bowl or in tomato sauce over pasta.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 4 people

Calories 278 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 2 cup cooked and cooled red or black beans (beans made from scratch* or canned)
• 2 tbsp olive of avocado oil (divided; for cooking)
• 1 small red onion (chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp chili powder (optional; leave out or add more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 cup cooked and completely cooled off quinoa (cooking and cooling time not included in total cooking time)
• 1/4 cup (vegan) parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Lizano sauce or Worchestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp fresh basil (plus some for garnishing (optional))
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley (plus some for garnishing (optional))

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven: 350F/175C
• Add rinsed, dried beans to a baking mat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until beans appear cracked and feel dry to the touch. Remove beans from the oven and then increase oven heat to 375F/190C.
• In the meantime, heat a large, oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil. Once hot, add garlic, and red onion. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat (and reserve pan for later use).
• Add the beans to a food processor along with garlic/onion mixture, sea salt, oregano, chili powder, and smoked paprika and pulse into a loose meal (be careful not to over mix). Then add cooked & cooled quinoa, (vegan) parmesan cheese, tomato paste, fresh basil & parsley, and Lizano/Worcestershire sauce. Pulse to combine until a textured dough forms (again, don’t over mix… you are not looking for a pureé). Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt for saltiness/depth of flavor, chili for heat or herbs for earthiness. If your mixture is too wet, add more (vegan) parmesan cheese and pulse to combine.
• Now scoop out 1+ tbsp of mixture and gently form into small balls using your hands. Add to a plate and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.
• Reuse the skillet you made the garlic/onion mixture in. Heat it up remaining oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and sauté for a few minutes, gently turning the meatballs to get a slight crust on either side. Then transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and slightly dry to the touch. 
• These meatballs are delicious as is, or you can add them to this oven roasted tomato sauce. Heat it up over medium heat for 5-10 minutes to infuse more flavor. Optional: add 1 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom to the sauce to give the sauce even more depth of flavor. Serve it on top of pasta, rice or quinoa. Bon appétit!

Notes

*recipe for beans from scratch

 

Nutritional information:

the information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Keyword beans, gluten free, plant based, quinoa

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