Dining In - Vegan Meatballs

Vegan Meatballs - VegNews

These filling no-meat-balls are a great addition to a bed of pasta or as an Italian-style sub sandwich. It's not the mock meat approach for the tasty little bites, but rather soy-free with nuts and rice and lots of seasonings instead. I will say that these took a bit longer to prepare than I would have liked, given that the pasta and sauce can be prepped in a few minutes. The longest part of the process is baking them for a half hour at the end, so wait on cooking your pasta. The recipe came from a VegNews article, "Top 12 Vegan Recipes of 2012." I am slowly, but surely making my way through the list! So far my favorite has been the Vegan Potato Pancakes.You can find this recipe here on the VegNews website. 

Note: A large food processor is essential for this recipe. 

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted
1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high, add onions and garlic. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes, while stirring occasionally. 

Cook Onions and Garlic Until Softened

In a large food processor, blend together remaining ingredients: walnuts, rice, parsley, basil, oregano, sage, chipotle powder, salt, and chickpea flour. When smooth add in onions and garlic and continue processing. Try not to overblend as the mixture will get mushy and have less texture.

Roll Mixture into Balls
Place on Parchment-Lined Baking Sheet

Scoop out about a tablespoon or more of mixture and roll into balls. Place on parchment paper and repeat. You will end up with 20-26 "meat"balls. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.

Add to bowl of pasta with desired tomato sauce or eat in a sub roll with some melted non-dairy cheese and tomato sauce, or eat plain - it's up to you! 

Vegan Soy-Free Meatballs