These are my best plant-based meatballs that are perfect in texture and flavour! They’re great to serve to friends or family who aren’t plant-based but need some convincing! Recipe is below.
Meatball Recipe
Ingredients:
150g uncooked green lentils, rinsed (Also known as french or puy lentils)
600ml mushroom stock (Or vegetable stock with 1 tsp of dark soy sauce)
1 tablespoon olive oil
200g mushrooms (oyster and shiitake work well), roughly chopped
15g dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated in boiling water
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, zested
50ml red wine (Or 1 tbsp red wine vinegar)
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
60g walnuts
60g cooked chestnuts
60g ground flaxseed
3 tbsp dried italian herb seasoning
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 tsp marmite or dark soy sauce (Use tamari if gluten free)
170g sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
Method:
– Add the lentils and mushroom stock to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
– Drain in a sieve thoroughly and spread onto a baking tray, put to the side to dry and cool down. The liquid from the lentils can be kept for a soup.
– In a medium saucepan, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil over a medium-high heat.
– Add the chopped mushrooms and onion. Fry until the water has evaporated from the mushrooms and they’re caramalised. Zest in the garlic and continue frying for 2 minutes.
– Deglaze the pan with red wine and worcestershire sauce and cook until the mushrooms have a jammy consistency. Transfer from pan to a large bowl.
– Drain and finely chop the dried porcini mushrooms and add to the bowl. The liquid used to rehydrate the mushrooms can be kept for a soup, stew or risotto.
– In a food processor blend the walnuts and chestnuts until the texture or rough sand is achieved. Transfer to the bowl.
– Add the lentils to the food processor and blend until mostly smooth. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl down a couple times. Add to the bowl.
– Add the ground flaxseed, Italian herb seasoning, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, marmite and sun dried tomatoes to the bowl.
– Mix the ingredients together first with a spoon and then with your hands to distribute the ingredients evenly.
– Place the meatball mixture into the fridge for 20 minutes.
– Remove from the fridge and roll into equal balls. I got 22 meatballs from the mix.
– Heat up a frying pan over a medium heat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add your meatballs and pan fry for a couple minutes on each side until golden brown all over. Roughly 8-12 minutes total.
– To cook in the oven preheat to 200C. Place your meatballs onto a baking tray and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes turning regularly.
– In the air fryer cook at 180C for 12-15 minutes turn regularly.
– Serve with spaghetti and tomatoes sauce!
Tomato sauce
Ingredients:
1 bay leaf
1 large clove garlic, zested
1 can chopped tomatoes (400g)
10g balsamic glaze
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp olive oil
Method:
– Heat up 1 tbsp olive oil over a medium heat in a saucepan.
– Add the bay leaf followed by the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes.
– Be careful the garlic doesn’t brown.
– Add the chopped tomatoes. Wash out the can with 50ml of water and add to the pan.
– Using a potato masher squash the tomatoes to give the sauce a smoother texture.
– Add the balsamic glaze and simmer for 8-12 minutes until slightly thickened.
– Finish with salt, pepper and the basil.
– Enjoy
0:00 Intro
0:21 Cooking the lentils
1:58 Vegetable prep
3:35 Cooking the mushrooms
4:40 Blending the ingredients
5:25 Combining the ingredients
6:35 Shaping the meatballs
6:58 Cooking the tomato sauce
7:42 Cooking the meatballs
8:19 Taste test
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