Vegan Meatballs
If you’ve tried my meatloaf recipe, my wellington recipe, or even my burger recipe then you know how amazing these meatballs should be. Since we’re using the same meat base for all of these recipes, what I always suggest is that you batch make the base, roll some for meatballs, make patties for burgers and use the rest for your meatloaf. Freeze them all (you can freeze them for months) and thaw them when it’s time to eat. These meatballs are slightly hard on the outside, but super soft on the inside, and the best thing is that they do not crumble! Because I already have a recipe video for the Wellington, the Burger and the Meatloaf, I figured it’ll be redundant to make a video for these meatballs.
Jump to RecipeThe Secret Ingredients
To begin, you need to preheat your oven at 350F. Next roughly chop the mushrooms, bell peppers and herbs. For the recipe I used a medley of mushrooms (cremini, oysters mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms), but you don’t need to. Whatever mushrooms you have on hands will do. Just make sure you don’t cut them too small as the mushrooms shrinks when they cook. We’re adding mushrooms solely for texture, this will not impact the overall taste of these meatballs. This will also be a good time to cook the quinoa. For the quinoa, you can use any kind/color.
Heat a skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add the mushrooms. You don’t need to add any oil or water, as the mushrooms will release water as they cook. Stir for 3 to 5 minutes until they shrink in size.
The Meat of the Ball
Next add the chopped onions, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, basil, tarragon, bell peppers and sauté for another 2 minutes; then add some salt and pepper to taste.
The great thing about chickpeas is that they don’t easily get pureed unless that’s what you’re trying to achieve. Chickpeas are a key ingredient to get the right consistency and texture on these vegan meatballs. Add the chickpeas in the food processor and give them a couple of pulses. It’s important not to over process the chickpeas. We want them crushed and not pureed.
Place your crushed chickpeas in a large mixing bowl and set them aside. In the same food processor add the walnuts and cashews and give them a couple of pulses as well to crush them. Now you don’t have to use these two types of nuts, any nuts you have on hands will do. They are added purely for texture. If you have a nuts allergy, you can replace them with more bread crumbs.
Prepare a flax egg by mixing your ground flax with water. Let it sit in the fridge for about 5 minutes until thickened.
Add your crushed chickpeas to a large mixing bowl, along with the flax egg, coconut milk, tomato paste, Annie’s vegan worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, crushed nuts, cooked quinoa, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (optional), salt and pepper. Mix well to incorporate
Add the sautéed mushrooms to the chickpeas base and mix well to incorporate. The meat base is ready.
Using a tablespoon to measure, form the meatballs by rolling the base with your hands. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place your meatballs on the tray and pop them in the oven for 30 minutes. The meatballs are ready! Glaze them with so barbecue sauce if you don’t mind. These meatballs are firm. They are slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and meaty on the inside. They are amazing in subs, pasta or just by themselves. Enjoy and stay blessed!
VEGAN MEATBALLS
Ingredients
- 1 Can Chickpeas (15.5 oz)
- 5 oz. Mushrooms Mix (Crimini and Shiitake)
- 1/2 Cup Walnuts
- 1/2 Cup Cooked Quinoa (any color works)
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Milk (Full fat from the can)
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce (I used Annie’s)*
- 1 Tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (Optional)
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Cup Red Onion
- 1/4 Cup Red Bell Pepper
- 1/4 Cup Green Bell Pepper
- 1/4 Cup Yellow Bell Pepper
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
- 1 Tbsp Sage (Fresh)
- 1 Tbsp Thyme (Fresh)
- 1 Tbsp Rosemary (Fresh)
- 1/2 Tbsp Veggie Stock (Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic)*
- 1 Pinch Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Flax Egg
- 1 Tbsp Ground Flax
- 3 Tbsp Water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven at 400F.
- Heat a skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add coconut oil or water and chopped onions, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, and green, yellow and red bell peppers and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add crimini and shiitake mushrooms. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic powder, a pinch of salt and pepper and some herbs de provence (optional).
- Add your chickpeas in a food processor and give a couple of pulses. Do not over process the chickpeas. We want them crushed and not pureed.
- Prepare a flax egg by mixing your ground flax with water. Let it sit in the fridge for about 5 minutes until thickened.
- Add your crushed chickpeas to a large mixing bowl, along with the flax egg, coconut milk, tomato paste, Annie’s vegan worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, crushed walnuts, cooked quinoa, Better Than Bouillon veggie stock, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (optional), salt and pepper. Mix well to incorporate
- Add the sautéed mushrooms to the chickpeas base and mix well to incorporate. Then roll your meat based into balls (I used a tablespoon to get meatballs of approximately the same size). You should get approximately 12 to 15 meatballs.
- Place your meatballs on the baking tray and coat them with some barbecue sauce using a basting brush for perfect browning. Bake for 30 minutes and it’s ready to enjoy!
