I recently set out on a mission: create the best vegan meatballs ever. See, I have a little bit of a thing for meatless meatballs, and there are lots of ways to make them. But I wanted these meatballs to be the absolute best, most convincing meatballs…you know, the kind that even meat-eaters would love. I took some inspiration from these meaty vegan burgers I created a few years ago. The combination of oats, black beans, and walnuts gave those burgers a really hearty texture. Would that mix of ingredients be just as convincing in vegan meatballs? I had to give it a try! It turned out that yes, these beanballs had just the texture I was going for. I added in some of my favorite Italian seasonings — pretty much the same seasonings you’d use in a batch of conventional meatballs. And it worked! These things were amazing. They’ll be a pasta-night staple in my house from now on!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Rolled oats. Quick oats will probably work, but the texture of your meatballs might not be as great, so I recommend going with rolled if possible.Chopped walnuts. Pecans, hazelnuts, or sunflower seeds should work as substitutes.Black beans. We’re using canned black beans. You can substitute dried black beans, but you’ll need to soak and cook them before getting started. Try this method.Onion.Garlic.Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.Tomato paste.Spices. We’re using oregano, thyme, fennel and red pepper flakes. If you normally buy Italian seasoning blend, feel free to substitute it for the oregano and thyme.Salt & pepper.Olive oil. You can leave this out if you prefer to cook oil-free.
How They’re Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Place your rolled oats in a food processor and blend them to a coarse powder.Add the walnuts to the food processor and blend again, until the nuts are very finely chopped.
Add the beans, chopped onion, minced garlic, soy sauce, tomato paste, and spices to the food processor.Pulse the machine until everything is well-mixed and finely chopped. Make sure you don’t overblend the mixture or your vegan meatballs will turn out mushy.Taste-test the mixture and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
Roll the mixture into 1 ½ inch balls and arrange them on a baking surface. I’m using a cast iron skillet, but a parchment paper-lined baking sheet will also work.Give the balls a light brush or spritz with olive oil.
Bake the beanballs until they’re lightly browned and crispy on their outsides. Make sure to turn them once or twice so they bake evenly.Smother your vegan meatballs with sauce and serve them how you like! I like to enjoy mine over spaghetti with some homemade marinara sauce, fresh parsley and vegan Parmesan cheese.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan meatballs will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months. You can also refrigerate or freeze the bean mixture straight from the food processor before baking. I like to divide mine into single serving-sized portions before doing this, then when I’m ready I can thaw (if frozen), roll and bake the meatballs according to the recipe. If you’ve stored your veggie balls in sauce, the microwave is the best way to reheat them. If you stored them dry you have the option of using the microwave or popping them back into the oven until they’re hot.
More Vegan Italian Recipes
Vegan LasagnaVegan Margherita PizzaPasta with Mushroom BologneseVegan RavioliVegan Garlic BreadVegan Stuffed Shells
