Vegan Quinoa Meatball Parmesan Recipes

THE BEST VEGAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• If you haven't prepared your quinoa yet, do so now (make sure it's cooked and cooled completely before use). 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa will yield ~1 cup cooked. *Prep/cook time does not include preparing quinoa.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Add rinsed, dried black beans to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until beans appear cracked and feel dry to the touch (see beans in food processor photo). Remove beans from the oven and then increase oven heat to 375 degrees F (190C).
• Heat a large (oven-safe) skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add water (or oil), garlic, and shallot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly softened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat (and reserve pan for later use).
• Add black beans to a food processor along with garlic, shallot, sea salt, oregano, red pepper flake, and fennel (optional) and pulse into a loose meal (DON'T overmix). Then add cooked/cooled quinoa, vegan parmesan cheese, tomato paste, fresh basil or parsley, and Worcestershire (optional). Pulse to combine until a textured dough forms (you're not looking for a purée, but it should be semi-tacky).
• Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt for saltiness/depth of flavor, red pepper flake for heat, herbs for earthiness, or Worcestershire (optional) for more depth of flavor. If it's too tacky or wet, add more vegan parmesan cheese and pulse to combine (we added a bit more).
• Scoop out heaping 1 1/2 Tbsp amounts (using this scoop or a Tablespoon) and gently form into small balls using your hands. Add to a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Heat an oven-safe metal or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a small amount of oil to prevent sticking, then add the meatballs. Sauté for a few minutes, gently turning the meatballs to get a slight crust on either side. Then transfer to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and slightly dry to the touch.
• These meatballs are delicious as is, or you can add some marinara to the pan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes (or until bubbling / hot) to infuse more flavor.
• Serve with marinara and additional vegan parmesan cheese (optional)! These are also delicious atop any pasta. Leftover meatballs keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave or in a 375-degree F (190 C) oven until warmed through.

EASY LENTIL MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C), and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or more if increasing batch size).
• Once skillet is hot, add 1 Tbsp olive oil (amount as recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), shallot and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly golden brown (being careful not to burn), then remove from heat and turn off stove top.
• To a food processor, add flaxseed meal and water and let set for 2-3 minutes.
• Add cooked, cooled lentils, 1 tsp olive oil (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), sautéed garlic and shallot, Italian seasonings, parsley, tomato paste, vegan parmesan cheese, and a pinch each salt and pepper. Pulse, mixing until combined, but not puréed, leaving a little texture.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt and pepper or herbs for flavor, vegan parmesan for cheesiness and to dry out, or more olive oil to moisten. The texture should be dough-like. If the mixture is still too wet, add coconut or oat flour, or panko bread crumbs if not gluten free.
• Use a Tablespoon or cookie dough scoop (like this one), to scoop out rounded Tablespoon amounts of dough and carefully form into balls. The mixture is moldable, but fragile, so the best way to do this is to rest the dough in the palm of one hand, while using two fingers from the other hand to gently mold/form into a meatball. If it cracks, moisten your fingers with a little water to help reform/bind them. Repeat until all meatballs are formed - about 12 or 13.
• Roll/coat in vegan parmesan cheese (optional) and arrange on baking sheet.
• Heat the skillet from earlier over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and half of the meatballs (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Brown for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown, shaking the pan or using a wooden spoon to roll the balls around to cook evenly on all sides.
• As they are done cooking, transfer to your prepared baking sheet and set in the preheated oven. Repeat process, adding remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) to the skillet and sautéing remaining meatballs, then transfer to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, while you prepare your carrot noodles, pasta and/or marinara sauce.
• Remove meatballs from oven and let cool slightly - they will firm up the longer they are cooled. Serve over carrot noodles or pasta with marinara sauce.
• Best when fresh, though leftovers keep in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat in a 350 degree F (176 C) oven until warmed through.

VEGAN SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions in a well salted pot of water. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C. Cut the cauliflower's stem off, and cut into even-sized florets. Drizzle the cauliflower with maybe a teaspoon of oil. Roast the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes in the oven. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.
• In a food processor, add the cauliflower and pulse it until it's completely riced. Remove from the food processor. You only need 1 cup of this for this recipe and 8 ounces should make about 1 cup.
• Add the 1 cup of riced cauliflower and all the other meatball ingredients EXCEPT the coconut oil. You can pulse them or mix them together until they form into a tight ball, combining everything. You want to ensure they are so mixed together that you're not seeing individual cauliflower or quinoa florets, it's all one big mixture. That's how you'll ensure the meatballs will hold together!
• Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat. While it's heating, use a tablespoon measurer to form one raw meatball and shape into a ball with your fingers. You can place them on a plate while the oil heats.
• Add one meatball to test the oil. Cook on one side for about 1-2 minutes, turning on all sides onto fully cooked inside and out, about 4 minutes. You can add as many meatballs as can fit in the pan without overcrowding it, cooking them all for about 4-5 minutes turning on each side, to cook them through.
• Lower/turn the heat off. When the heat has cooled down, add in the tomato sauce. You want to do this because if the pan is too hot, the sauce will spew and the heat can be dangerous while so hot. Coat the meatballs in the sauce and then remove the pan from the stove.
• You can add in all the spaghetti to combine so they are also fully sauced, or just add a dollop of sauce into each spaghetti serving if you aren't serving it all at once, then add the meatballs you want on top of the spaghetti. It's up to you how to want to serve it basically!
• Enjoy!

VEGAN QUINOA MEATBALL PARMESAN

Steps:

• In a medium pot bring the quinoa and water to a boil
• Turn the heat to low and place a lid on the pot
• Set a timer for 30 minutes
• When the timer goes off remove the pot from the heat and use a spoon to stir the quinoa until it sticks together and starts forming an almost dough like texture
• Add the parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper
• Stir until thoroughly combined
• Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes (lid off) or until you can handle it safely
• Form the quinoa into meatballs (I got about 20 meatballs)
• In a large oven safe pan (it’s going under the broiler) add the oil and the meatballs
• Cook on medium heat, turning the meatballs occasionally to get evenly browned
• Top the meatballs with the sauce, heat until the sauce is warm
• Top with the cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted
• Serve and enjoy!!