Description
These Vegan Meatballs are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside! They’re loaded with tons of flavor and easy to make.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 (1/2 inch) slices of polenta from a tube, a little less than half
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 chia egg (mix one heaping tablespoon ground chia seed with 3 tablespoons water and let sit for 2 minutes)
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoons ketchup (I like to use True Made Foods sugar free ketchup)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon grated onion, or finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup flour
- Olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Add the polenta to a food processor and pulse a few times until it’s broken down. Next, add the chickpeas and kidney beans to the food processor and pulse a few more times until you have a thick mixture. You don’t want it completely blended to a paste.
- Add mixture to a bowl and then add all the remaining ingredients, except the flour. Mix until combined and refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes. Longer is ok too.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat until it’s hot and then add in olive oil (I used about 1 tablespoon). Use a 1 tablespoon scoop to scoop the meatball mixture and then roll between your hands. Roll in the flour until it’s completely coated and then place in the hot oil.
- Cook meatballs until brown and crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside, 7-10 minutes. Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes in the pan before serving and they will firm up a little bit.
Notes
If you want to cook them with tomato sauce, I would suggest browning them first and then adding in the sauce.
Recipe makes about 20 meatballs.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Dinner, Vegan
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian/American
