Vegan Meatballs

Want to sink your teeth into something meaty!? These vegan meatballs or ‘meat’balls or beanballs or whatever you want to call them are seriously the next best thing. The texture is so satisfying and the flavor is decadent. They are a little more involved to make, so double the batch and pop some in the freezer for a quick meal. Your future self will thank you.

I just made taught this recipe in one of my cooking classes and my students were raving about them. And not only are they super tasty, they are also SUPER healthy! Made from quinoa and black beans, you get your serving of whole grains and legumes all in one bite.

It is important to cool your quinoa and dry your beans before making the meatballs because this helps get out the extra moisture so your dough won’t be too moist (sorry if you despise that word) and will hold up when baking. If you don’t have time for these extra steps, you can add some more flax meal, extra ground oats, or more plant-based parm to help absorb some of the extra moisture. Use your best judgement!

These vegan meatballs are fantastic leftover. I love to snack on them cold, just out of the fridge. Sometimes I dip them into hummus, sometimes I crumble them onto salads, sometimes I make vegan meatball subs out of them. The options are endless, but don’t limit them to just being eating on top of spaghetti (or spaghetti squash) because they are so much more than that!

Meatless Vegan Meatballs

For the meatballs

• 1 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled (about ½ cup uncooked)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed, drained & dried
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or water)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ¼ teaspoon dried basil 
• 1 ¼ teaspoon dried oregano 
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme 
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ cup plant-based parmesan (plus more for serving) – see below
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons flaxmeal (ground flax seeds)
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 jar marinara/pasta sauce of your choice

For the plant-based parmesan:

• ½ cup raw cashews 
• ½ cup raw walnuts 
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Order of Operations:

1. Make the quinoa. Add ½ cup uncooked quinoa and 1 cup water to a small saucepan with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until no water remains. Spread 1 cup of cooked quinoa in a thin layer on a plate and transfer to the freezer to let cool. 
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
3. Dry beans in the oven. Add beans to a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until beans start to crack and feel dry to the touch. Remove beans from the oven and increase heat to 400 degrees.
4. Make the plant-based parmesan. In a food processor or high speed blender, add all ingredients for the parm and pulse until finely ground.  Remove to a bowl and set aside. **Note: you will have extra parm (which is always a good thing!) 
5. Make the meatballs. 
   1. Add ¼ cup of rolled oats to the food processor and grind into a flour. Set aside. 
   2. In a large, oven-safe skillet, heat oil (or water) over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, until slightly softened, stirring frequently. 
   3. Add the following spices to the pan: 
      • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
      • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
      • 1 ¼ teaspoon dried basil 
      • 1 ¼ teaspoon dried oregano 
      • ½ teaspoon dried thyme 
      • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
      • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
      • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
      • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
   4. Stir to combine and let spices cook another minute more, stirring frequently.
   5. Transfer onion mixture to the food processor with the ground oats. Reserve the pan for later use.
   6. Add black beans to the food processor and pulse into a loose meal. 
   7. Remove black bean mixture to a large mixing bowl and add: 
      • 1 cup cooked/cooled quinoa
      • ½ cup plant-based parmesan
      • 2 tablespoons flax meal
      • 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
      • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
      • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
      • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
   8. Stir mixture or use your hands to combine until a rough, tacky, dough forms. If the dough is too wet, add more parmesan. If it is too dry, add a little water, 1-2 teaspoons at a time. 
   9. Scoop out heaping 1½ tablespoon amounts and gently roll into small balls with your hands and place balls in the oven-safe skillet or on a baking sheet. 
   10. Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and dry to the touch.
6. While meatballs bake, cook your pasta. 
7. When the meatballs are done, add 1 jar of marinara sauce to the skillet with the meatballs and heat over medium heat for another 5 minutes, until the sauce bubbles. 
8. Serve over spaghetti with a sprinkle of parmesan.

Vegan Meatballs – Grocery Shopping Checklist

• Cappellini (aka angel hair) pasta, whole wheat if possible
• Marinara/pasta sauce, 1 jar
• Quinoa, white or red, ½ cup uncooked
• Black beans, 1, 14 oz. can
• Cashews, ½ cup raw
• Walnuts, ½ cup raw 
• Nutritional yeast, ¼ cup 
• Onion, 1 small white or yellow
• Garlic, 4 cloves
• Rolled oats, ¼ cup
• Flaxmeal (ground flax seeds), 2 tablespoons
• Tomato paste, 2 tablespoons
• Dijon mustard
• Soy sauce
• Apple cider vinegar
• Avocado oil

Dried Herbs & Spices:

• Basil
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Red pepper flakes (aka crushed red chili flakes)
• Fennel seeds (optional)