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Yummy Meatless Meatballs
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Yummy Meatless Meatballs

These Italian style Yummy Meatless Meatballs are friendly to the Mediterranean diet and can be made vegan or gluten free as well.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Additional Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Cuisine: Italian
Search Result: Italian, meatballs, Meatless, Mediterranean Diet, plant based, vegan, vegetarian.
Servings: 8
Servings: 1g
Author: 🔪 Food, Wine, and Love

Ingredients

  • Olive Oil – 1 tablespoon. Onion- 1 small minced or chopped.
  • Garlic– 2 teaspoons about two cloves chopped or minced.
  • Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs– 1 ÂĽ cup. Alternatives that you can use instead include oats or almond flour.
  • Beans– 1 15 ounce can of cooked beans, drained. That is one and a half cups. Black, white or kidney could work.
  • Spinach- 1 ½ cups chopped. Substitutes can include cauliflower corn, or kale.
  • Basil- ½ cup chopped. If you do not have fresh basil try increasing your spinach to two cups instead.
  • Quinoa– ½ cup cooked. Feel free to sub in another grain or even chopped mushrooms would work!
  • Italian Seasonings– 2-3 teaspoons.
  • Eggs- 2. To make this meatball recipe vegan-friendly you can simply use a vegan egg replacer instead.
  • Tomato sauce– 2 ½ tablespoons. You could try one of these alternatives ketchup, Soy Sauce, or even wine (probably red would work best).

Instructions

  • In a skillet over medium heat, saute your onions for about three minutes and then add the garlic. When the onions appear translucent, about another two minutes, remove the skillet from the heat. Remember to stir the onions and garlic while they are on the skillet. The transfer the sauteed onions and garlic to a small bowl or dish to cool.
  • Next, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, beans, spinach, basil, and quinoa. I mentioned earlier that using a food processor can yield results that are closer to the real thing in texture.
  • Add the sauteed onions and garlic along with the seasoning, eggs, and tomato sauce. Mix until the ingredients seem to be able to stick together.
  • Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least a half-hour.
  • To form your meatless meatballs first coat your hands to prevent sticking. Use a large spoon or similar utensil to scoop out the needed mix and form a meatball. Then place it on to the prepared sheet. Tip- since there are so many alternative ingredients needed to make this recipe, you may need to tweak your ingredients to get that perfect consistency needed to form a meatball. Do not hesitate to add additional bread crumbs or sauce as needed.
  • Bake your meatballs for 18-20 minutes or until they brown. Be sure to rotate the individual meatless meatballs as needed throughout the baking period to allow them to bake evenly.
  • Serve these meatballs as you would if they were regular meatballs.

Recipe Notes

I mentioned that a binder, such as an egg, is needed to hold meatballs together. To make this meatball recipe vegan-friendly you can simply use a vegan egg replacer instead.
Also, I mentioned that using a food processor to make these meatless meatballs is a great way to get the texture of these even more like the real thing!
This recipe calls for Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs (Mediterranean diet friendly). Alternatives that you can use instead include oats or almond flour.

originally posted:

March 18, 2020
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Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 737mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10g
Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!

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