Easy Plant-Based Italian Meatballs
This is a super simple and delicious meatless Italian meatball that pairs nicely with any pasta entree or stuffed into a whole grain Italian loaf. It’s easily customizable and comes together quickly for a busy weeknight meal. These meatballs taste great with my Dairy-Free Meatless Lasagna.
Ingredients
1 8-oz pkg. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup walnuts or sunflower seeds
1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup rolled oats or quick oats
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp whole fennel seed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp water
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic, add saute for 5 minutes, adding the Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper during the last minute. Let cool for a few minutes.
Place nuts or seeds in a bowl of a food processor first and pulse until coarsely ground. Also, if using rolled oats place them in the with the nuts to chop them up a bit. Add the beans, water, sauteed vegetables, and pulse until just combined (don’t overmix or it’ll turn into a paste). Taste for seasoning adding additional Italian seasoning or fennel seeds to taste.
Roll about 2 Tbsp meatball mixture into a ball and place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until meatballs are browned and crispy.
Heat your favorite prepared pasta sauce and pour over baked meatballs before serving.
Yield: 12 meatballs
