You will like that these Yummy Meatless Meatballs are great with your favorite sauce.
They work with just about anything that the meat version of meatballs works with, especially pasta!
Yummy Meatless Meatballs
This recipe for a copycat meatball is made without adding any kind of meat.
There are even options to make this recipe vegan as well.
Certainly, if you have tried my Vegan Black Bean Burger recipe, then you already know that meatless copycat recipes can taste pretty good.
Both that burger recipe and this meatless meatball recipe look just like their meat-based counterparts.
I would even say that they taste just as good as well!
Do you want to learn more about the Mediterranean Diet?
Find out how to follow the Mediterranean Diet here.
Most folks seem to want to know what are meatless meatballs made of.
Obviously, the answer to that question could have a lot to do with who is making the meatballs and with what recipe they are making them with.
I tend to believe that the homemade meatless meatballs, such as these, are made with ingredients that are fresh and well known rather than ingredients that could be less easy to pronounce. Subtle, I know...
These meatballs are made using vegan or vegetarian friendly ingredients.
I am talking about plant-based ingredients along with the usual binders and fillers that are friendly to these diets.
Most importantly, this recipe for meatballs is friendly to the Mediterranean diet.
If you were to ask if meatless meatballs are good for you, the answer would have to do with the ingredients that are used.
If you use healthy ingredients than you should expect a healthier result. The Mediterranean diet is all about fresh vegetables and healthy ingredients.
Using eggs is a standard ingredient that is used to holding (binding) meatballs together.
While you could use eggs in this recipe, there are other alternatives binders that you could use instead that are vegan-friendly.
You can find vegan egg replacers here.
Tips Yummy Meatless Meatballs
I just 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.
Here are some more great tips for you.
- This recipe calls for Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs (Mediterranean diet friendly). Alternatives that you can use instead include oats or almond flour.
- Refrigerating your meatballs before actually forming them into balls will not only make shaping them easier to do, it will help the ingredient flavors blend together as well.
- 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 is for Italian Style Meatless meatballs.
As a result of these meatballs being Italian based, we will be using Italian Italian Seasonings. There really are a lot of varieties of seasonings that you can choose from.
You could easily alter how you make these meatballs.
Yes, meatballs are synonymous with Italian recipes. But, you could use other kinds of seasonings to personalize your meatless meatballs.
This recipe also calls for tomato sauce.
Since not a lot of sauce is needed for the meatless meatballs, you could simply use the remaining sauce to serve with your meatballs. Tomato sauce alternatives that you could also use include ketchup, Soy Sauce, or even wine (probably red would work best).
By the way, while you are here you may also be interested in these ideas.
- Vegan and Mediterranean Diet Brownies.
- Mediterranean Diet Lemon Pepper Salmon.
- How to Follow the Mediterranean Diet.
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Yummy Meatless Meatballs
Yummy Meatless Meatballs
Earlier 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.
The Ingredients needed to make these Yummy Meatless Meatballs
- 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 or as needed.
- 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).
How to make these Yummy Meatless Meatballs.
- 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.
- Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper .
- To form your meatless meatballs first coat your hands with a small amount of oil to prevent sticking. Use a large spoon or similar utensil to scoop out the needed mix and form a meatball. Then place the formed meatball 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.
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Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that are used.
These Yummy Meatless Meatballs are friendly to the Mediterranean diet and can be made vegan or gluten free as well.
Yummy Meatless Meatballs
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 ¼ 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.
- a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 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
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Nutrition
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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