These Vegan Meatballs can be seasoned to go with spaghetti, stirfry, or in a barbeque sandwich! They’re oil-free and full of fiber and protein.
I wanted to name these Your Mom’s Got Vegan Balls, but…I listened to my more mature side (and a much more successful blogger) and kept it simple. Not as funny, but not everyone is into my sense of humor, haha!
They’re quite easy to make so if you don’t need step by step pictures, scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
I used quinoa in these, but I cooked it with a little extra water so that it would be on the mushy side. Not fluffy like we like it for salads and buddha bowls. I add the dry quinoa to the water, bring it to a boil and cover and simmer until most of the water is absorbed.
It should look like this:
Drain off the excess water. I dumped it into a wire mesh strainer. After draining, dump it into a large bowl.
Sauté the onions in a dry pan, adding splashes of water, wine or broth if they stick. Sauté until they are translucent and tender. Add minced garlic and whatever herbs you are using. Cook for a few minutes until the garlic and herbs are aromatic. Remove from heat and scrape into the bowl of quinoa.
Add the cooked lentils, ground walnuts or sunflower seeds, rice crumbs and seasoning salt, if using.
Mash with a potato masher or use the back of a fork. Or use your hands! Mix well.
Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, form balls (about 1 1/2″) and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes and then carefully flip them over or onto their sides. I use a small metal spatula to scrape them up and over. Here is a spatula like I use (if you use this link to buy I will get a few pennies at no additional cost to you):
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Bake an additional 10 minutes. They’ll be firm to the touch and slightly browned.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool or serve hot as is. If using them in something like an Asian stirfry, I like to cool them and then dip them into my sauce and bake them for an additional 10 minutes to get a good, sticky glaze on them.
Dipping in sweet and sour sauce
Dipped in sauce and ready to bake again
Glazed in sweet and sour sauce.
So that’s how it’s done! They’re a great addition to salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches and so much more.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- 1/2 cup rice crumbs can sub dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds
- 2-3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2-1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs like oregano or basil (for dry herbs use 1/2-1 tsp)
- 3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley optional, but it adds good flavor
- 1 tsp Spike seasoning (or your favorite seasoning salt) optional
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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To cook quinoa, add water to a pot with a lid. Add quinoa. Bring to a boil and lower heat until you have just a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until most of the water has absorbed.
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If there's any water left, drain in a wire mesh strainer. It should be mushy, not fluffy like we'd normally have it for salads or most other recipes. Add the quinoa to a large mixing bowl.
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Sauté onions until translucent and tender.
Add garlic and whatever herbs you are using and sauté a few more minutes until the garlic and herbs are aromatic. Add seasoning salt, if using.
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Scrape the onion mixture into the mixing bowl.
Add the lentils, rice crumbs, and finely ground walnuts (or sunflower seeds) and mix.
Using a potato masher or the back of a fork (or your hands!) mash the lentil into the mixture until it will easily form balls.
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Using a small (1 1/2") cookie scoop or a tablespoon and your hands, form balls and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
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Bake for 15 minutes. Using a small metal spatula, carefully lift and flip them over. There should be a firm, crispy base.
Bake for another 10 minutes.
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Serve as is, or continue on to the glazing step below.
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For glazing, use your favorite sauce such as a sweet and sour or teriyaki or barbecue. Using tongs, dip into the sauce and place back onto the baking sheet. Place back into the 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes to get a sticky, but not gooey glaze baked on.
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Remove from the baking sheet and add to your pasta, sandwich, salad or whatever deliciousness you are making.
Seasoning notes:
If you're adding these to spaghetti, oregano and thyme are great herbs to use.
For my Asian dish, I used a Chinese 5 Spice mix that was really good.
These can be frozen and reheated. I used my toaster oven and heated them on a low temp (250 degrees) while I made my sauce. They came out just like when I made them fresh.
Rice crumbs? I’ve never seen them. Where did you source them. and what is a substitute?
Rice crumbs are available at Trader Joe’s. Do you have one near you? You can use very dry and fine bread crumbs as a substitute. I haven’t found an oil-free gluten-free bread that I like, so I haven’t made bread crumbs in awhile. If you try it with bread crumbs, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Perfect!
Thank you!
When making these, I used 1 cup of cooked quinoa and not the entire amount from cooking 1 cup of quinoa. Just double checking. My husband loved these and came up with so many ways that he can use them for meals when I am out and about. Will make up another batch for freezing.
I used the entire amount of cooked quinoa from cooking 1 cup. It was probably about 2.5 cups. They’re so versatile, aren’t they? Thanks for letting me know that they worked well with your modification.