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    Home » Recipes » Vegan

    Easy Meatless Meatballs

    Apr 18, 2019 ·

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Crisp, tender and full of flavor. These Easy Meatless Meatballs are perfect served with your favorite pasta and sauce or in a sub sandwich.

    Ovehead angled shot of easy meatless meatball on a bed of pasta and pasta sauce. this Recipe

    Growing up spaghetti and meatballs was one of my favorite comfort meals.

    Since becoming a vegetarian I’ve often used those meatless meatballs you find in the freezer section of the grocery store.  They are tasty but in my effort to reduce processed foods from my diet I wanted to have a homemade meatless meatball recipe in my repertoire.

    I’ve also tried countless vegan meatball recipes with no success of finding one I really like. They were either too dry and crumbly or too moist and mushy

     

    Well, I finally have one I really like and it's loaded with flavor.

    Close-up of easy meatless meatballs over pasta and pasta sauce.

    After processing mushrooms and beans in a food processor simply mix all the ingredients until well combined in a mixing bowl. Next, brown them in a pan and finish them off in the oven so they can crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. If you prefer you can skip the pan frying and just bake them in the oven 35 to 40 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.  Be sure not to leave them in the oven too long or they will become too dry.

    Overhead shot of easy meatless meatball ingredients in stainless bowl.

    Uncooked meatless meatballs on shallow baking pan. Easy meatless meatballs cooking in nonstick skillet.

    These Easy Meatless Meatballs are so delicious and are also good served up as a meatball sandwich.

    Close-up of bowl of easy meatless meatballs with plate of pasta and salad in background.

    If you try this recipe, let me know! Rate it, leave a comment and tag me with @thewholeserving on Instagram! I always love seeing what you are creating!

    Print
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    Easy Meatless Meatballs

    ★★★★★ 5 from 14 reviews
    • Author: Celeste #The Whole Serving
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Crisp, tender and full of flavor. These Easy Meatless Meatballs are perfect served with your favorite pasta and sauce or in a sub sandwich.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    ¼ cup uncooked amaranth or quinoa

    2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 for onions and 1 for meatballs

    1 small onion, chopped about ⅔ cups

    3 cloves garlic, minced

    8 oz. cremini mushrooms

    1 13 oz. box or can of cannelloni beans, rinsed and drain

    2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

    ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

    ½ cup Panko bread crumbs

    3 tablespoons finely chopped basil or parsley

    ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper, add more to your taste

    spaghetti noodles

    pasta sauce

    Vegan Parmesan


    Instructions

    Prepare amaranth or quinoa according to box directions. When done transfer to small bowl, cover and set aside.

    While grain is cooking heat skillet over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon olive oil and onions, sauté until onions start to soften. Add minced garlic to onions and continue to sauté another minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

    Clean and add mushrooms to the food processor and pulse until broken down into small pieces.

    Transfer mushrooms to a large mixing bowl. Add cannellini beans to the food processor and pulse into small crumbles. Add beans to mushrooms in mixing bowl.

    Add the cooked grains, onions, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, bread crumbs, and basil or parsley, salt and pepper to a bowl. Mix until well combined.

    Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of mixture in clean hands and gently shape into balls, place on clean plate or shallow baking pan.

    Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

    Once hot, add the meatballs and sauté, turning gently until they start to brown.

    While browning meatballs preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    Transfer browned meatballs to a shallow baking pan and bake in oven 25 to 30 minutes. Meatballs will be crispy on the outside. If you prefer you can bake them in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes until crispy and brown.

    While meatballs are cooking prepare the pasta and heat the pasta sauce.

    When everything is done plate pasta and sauce, add meatballs and spoon additional sauce over meatballs, finish with a sprinkling of vegan Parmesan.

    Serve with salad and enjoy.


    Notes

    If you prefer you can bake them in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes until crispy and brown.

    Be sure not to leave them in the oven too long or they will become too dry.

     

    Meatballs can be stored in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, or you can freeze them 1 to 2 months.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @thewholeserving on Instagram and hashtag it #wholeandwellplanted

    Easy Meatless Meatballs and pasta on a plate with salad.

     

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    About Celeste

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Stine Mari says

      April 24, 2019 at 3:32 am

      These look so delicious! I love the flavor of mushroom, so I can only imagine how yummy these meatless meatballs are. Pinning for later!

      ★★★★★

    2. Danielle Wolter says

      April 24, 2019 at 7:12 am

      I have never had meatless meatballs, but these sound just delicious! It's definitely something I'd like to try 🙂

      ★★★★★

    3. Jere Cassidy says

      April 24, 2019 at 6:11 pm

      These meatballs look like regular meatballs and I bet they are just as good or better.

      ★★★★★

    4. Kelly Anthony says

      April 24, 2019 at 7:46 pm

      What a great alternative to a classic meatball recipe. I love that they get a crispy outside and juicy inside.

      ★★★★★

    5. Jenni LeBaron says

      April 25, 2019 at 3:17 pm

      I love how flexible quinoa is for dishes like this. They provide such a hearty and flavorful protein substitute for meat, and when flavored with mushrooms, garlic, and herbs they are truly fantastic. Great recipe!

      ★★★★★

    6. Fred says

      April 25, 2019 at 6:41 pm

      Great alternative to the regular meatballs, have been cutting down on meat so this will definitely be a one for me to make.

      ★★★★★

    7. Kacie Morgan says

      April 26, 2019 at 9:02 am

      I'm going to a veggie dinner party this weekend and now I'm considering cooking this dish to take with me!

      ★★★★★

    8. Jacqueline Debono says

      April 28, 2019 at 2:04 am

      These meatless meatballs look really good. I'm not vegan or vegetarian but we eat quite a lot of meatless meals. This recipe with pasta is also perfect for when entertaining vegan or vegetarian guests.

      ★★★★★

    9. Amanda says

      April 28, 2019 at 8:26 pm

      These are so delicious, and you don’t even miss the meat! I love the crust that develops on these meatless meatballs — so good.

      ★★★★★

    10. Sophia says

      April 28, 2019 at 10:07 pm

      These look so tasty! Perfect for meatless Monday. I bet they'd be great in a meatball sub, yum!!

      ★★★★★

    11. April says

      April 29, 2019 at 2:57 pm

      I have always believed that meatballs and pasta are an ideal combo. Fantastic dinner recipe and a great way to host your close friends.

      ★★★★★

    12. Mimi says

      April 29, 2019 at 2:58 pm

      Mmmm.... these meatballs look so yummy! They will be a great adidtion to my recent pasta discovery and a wonderful way to celebrate the upcoming holiday!

      ★★★★★

    13. Maman de sara says

      April 29, 2019 at 10:17 pm

      These meatless meatballs look delicious. I love the add of quinoa to the ingredients.

      ★★★★★

    14. Geetanjali Tung says

      May 02, 2019 at 12:57 pm

      Meatless meatballs sounds amazing to me! The ingredients used I am sure it would be equally delicious as meatballs with pasta. Love it!!

      ★★★★★

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    Hello and welcome!

    I’m Celeste the content creator, recipe developer, and food photographer here at The Whole Serving. I’ve been blogging for over ten years and I absolutely love creating and photographing tasty recipes.

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    DISCLAMER

    This website is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a trained medical professional or nutritionist. I'm only sharing what has worked for me. Always check with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet or exercise program.

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