Easy Vegan Italian Meatballs
These Easy Vegan Italian Meatballs are the answer to my vegan meatball prayers. They’re like a 5-ingredient vegan meatballs miracle on a plate. They are so good, I don’t even have words to describe it – but I’m going to try anyway. Think golden meatballs that are crispy on the outside with a soft, flavorful center. They taste of the mediterranean – it’s almost like a vacation for your taste buds. They are full of plant protein, loaded with flavors and yhey are as healthy as they are tasty.
I came up with this recipe, because I wanted a really easy vegan meatball recipe that would be good enough to rival the regular thing. And I wanted my meatballs recipe to be easy. My only complaint about vegan cooking tends to be all the extra ingredients that are needed to substitute. That’s not how I like my cooking -I prefer simple, easy recipes that are loaded with flavors and make you feel like you’re a great cook with as little hassle as possible.
The prep time is minimal, the ingredients are kitchen stables and a part from lots of spices, they don’t require much. But the results are so amazing.
Easy Vegan Meatballs
Meatballs are usually held together by eggs, but since my meatballs are vegan, I decided to try a different solution. Rather than substituting the eggs with flax eggs, I got creative. Because lentils are soft and easy to hand, I decided to blend half of the cooked lentils and use them as my binder. It worked like a charm along with the rolled oats and a little flour. The texture when rolling the meatballs are just like regular meatballs.
What’s great about this recipe
- Super easy to make
- Simple and easy ingredients – all kitchen stables
- Vegan and nut free, plus a Gluten free option
- Healthy and loaded with plant based protein
- Delicious and a crowd pleaser
Gluten free option
Because I know a lot of people need a gluten free option, I always think about that while I’m creating a new recipe. For this recipe there are a few different gluten free alternatives. The flour can simply be replaced with almond flour – it’s a easy and healthy switch and I adore the way it makes the meatballs extra crispy.
The rolled oats has an important role as binder in this recipe, so it needs a similar replacement. One option is to simply replace the rolled oats with gluten free rolled oats. Another possibility is to use half rice and half rice flour as a subsitute – it works really well and also gives a nice texture. You can use brown rice or regular rice, the choice is yours.
Cooking tip
Getting the right texture is very important. If the meatballs feel too wet when you roll them, mix in a little extra flour one spoonful at a time, until you get the right, firm meatball texture. They should hold together well and look and feel pretty much like regular meatballs.
How to serve these Easy Vegan Italian Meatballs
There’s so many ways to serve, I could probably serve these vegan meatballs every day for a week and still not have tried them all. The simplest way is, of course, to serve them as fingerfoods with a dip. Or make a pasta sauce and serve them as pasta with meatballs – that’s always a favorite. You could also serve them with gravy and potatoes, in a casserole, cut in half on a pizza (yum) and the list goes on. For me, I like to serve my meatballs with a side of fresh couscous salad, garlic bread and lime dip – it’s healthy, fresh and oh so delicious.
So how are these Easy Vegan Italian Meatballs made? It’s so simple:
- Start by rinsing the lentils and cook them as instructed on the package. Test the lentils, before removing from the heat – they should be soft when chewed.
- Next, drain the water from the lentils and pour half of the lentils into a blender (or pour into a bowl and use a stick blender). Blend until the lentils are creamy.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the whole lentils, creamy lentils, chopped red onions, sundried tomatoes, garlic, soy sauce and all the spices. Add the rolled oats, olive oil and flour and mix until everything is combined.
- The mixture should be doughy and hold well when rolled into a ball. If the mixture is too wet, add a little extra flour.
- Next, roll the lentil mixture into small meatballs and place them on a baking trey covered with baking paper.
- Bake the meatballs in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden and a little crispy on the outside. Serve hot and enjoy.
Easy Vegan Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dry Green Lentils Rinsed
- 1 Red Onion Chopped
- 5 Sundried Tomatoes Chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 cup Rolled Oats Gluten Free if needed
- 3-5 tbsp Flour or Almond Flour
- 2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 2 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- Pinch of Salt
- Pinch of Pepper
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Start by rinsing the lentils and cook them as instructed on the package. Test the lentils, before removing from the heat – they should be soft when chewed.
- Next, drain the water from the lentils and pour half of the lentils into a blender (or pour into a bowl and use a stick blender). Blend until the lentils are creamy.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the whole lentils, creamy lentils, chopped red onions, sundried tomatoes, garlic, soy sauce and all the spices. Add the rolled oats, olive oil and flour and mix until everything is combined.
- The mixture should be doughy and hold well when rolled into a ball. If the mixture is too wet, add a little extra flour.
- Next, roll the lentil mixture into small meatballs and place them on a baking trey covered with baking paper.
- Bake the meatballs in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden and a little crispy on the outside. Serve hot and enjoy.
