Vegan Quinoa Meatballs

These quinoa meatballs are hearty, completely textured, and loaded with zesty Italian taste! Straightforward to make and extremely versatile, they’re excellent for piling onto pasta, stuffing into sandwiches, or having fun with on their very own.

Certainly one of my abilities is popping plant-based meals into vegan meatballs. Significantly! I’ve made tofu meatballs, tempeh meatballs, broccoli rabe meatballs, and black bean walnut meatballs, simply to call just a few. However I noticed not too long ago that I had but to experiment with one among my favourite substances for making meatballs. I really like my quinoa burgers, so it was time for a quinoa meatballs recipe!

Soar to:

Quinoa really works nice in vegan meatballs. It is extra than simply filler — these little seeds add a beautiful, meaty texture to an in any other case fairly fundamental batch of beanballs. For this recipe, I stared with a base of beans, panko breadcrumbs, and quinoa, and added a handful of zesty Italian seasonings to create a batch of quinoa balls excellent for pasta night time. However do not feel restricted! You may serve them as a essential dish, appetizer, or (my favourite!) stuff them into rolls for some killer quinoa meatball sandwiches.

Elements You will Want

Beneath you may discover a record of substances on this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way in which to the underside of the publish to see the complete recipe, together with the quantity of every ingredient.

Quinoa. I used white quinoa, as a result of it is what I had available, however be happy to make use of any selection, or a combination!
Cannellini beans. You probably have a can of black beans, kidney beans, or navy beans available, be happy to substitute them.
Panko breadcrumbs.
Onion.
Garlic.
Tomato paste.
Soy sauce. Gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos will be substituted if wanted.
Balsamic vinegar.
Contemporary basil. Keep on with contemporary, not dried.
Crimson pepper flakes. These will add a contact of warmth. Be happy to omit them, or enhance the quantity for further kick.
Salt and pepper.
Olive oil. That is optionally available, and it’ll assist with browning if you happen to use it. Be happy to omit it for an oil-free model of this dish, or substitute one other high-heat impartial oil, like vegetable oil.
Marinara sauce. I like to decorate my quinoa meatballs with my home made marinara sauce, however be happy to make use of your favourite recipe and even jarred sauce.

How They’re Made

Beneath is an in depth picture tutorial on learn how to make this dish. Scroll all the way in which down if you would like to skip proper to the recipe!

Step 1: Prepare dinner the quinoa. Mix it with water in a small saucepan, warmth it to a boil, then scale back the warmth to a simmer and canopy it. Let it simmer till the water is absorbed, which is able to take about 20 minutes, then let it sit for about 10 minutes with the lid on.

Blended Quinoa Meatball ingredients in a food processor.

Step 2: Mix the substances. Add the cooked quinoa and all remaining substances apart from the oil and sauce to a meals processor bowl. Pulse the machine simply till all the pieces is finely chopped and blended. Do not overdo it — no one likes a mushy vegan meatball!

Tip: New to cooking quinoa? Try my information on how to cook quinoa for further steerage!

Step 3: Get able to bake. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unbaked Quinoa Meatballs on a baking sheet.

Step 4: Roll the balls. Roll the quinoa combination into about 24 balls. They will be about 1 ¼ inches in diameter, every. Organize them on a baking sheet and, if you would like, brush or spray them with some olive oil to assist with browning.

Baked Quinoa Meatballs on a baking sheet.

Step 5: Bake. Bake the balls till they’ve firmed up and browned, flipping them about midway by means of to make sure even cooking. They will want about half-hour within the oven.

Bowl of Quinoa Meatballs with a fork stabbing a half of a meatball.

Step 6: Serve. Toss the quinoa meatballs with some marinara sauce simply earlier than serving. I prefer to high mine with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese, however that is completely optionally available!

Leftovers & Storage

These quinoa meatballs are finest saved with out sauce, so I like to recommend solely tossing as many as you assume you may eat instantly in sauce. Retailer the leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge, then reheat within the microwave earlier than including sauce. For those who’ve already sauced them, no worries! They will not keep as agency, however they will nonetheless be scrumptious. These vegan meatballs may also be frozen (sauced or unsauced) for as much as three months.

Regularly Requested Questions

Can this recipe be made gluten-free?

It might! You may substitute vegan gluten-free breadcrumbs (store-bought or home made) for the panko breadcrumbs. You will additionally want to exchange the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari.

Can I prepare dinner my vegan quinoa meatballs in sauce as a substitute of baking them?

I positively do not suggest that. Baking is critical for them to set. Cooking them in sauce will obtain the other impact — they will disintegrate within the sauce.

My meatball combine is just too dry/too moist. How can I repair this?

This typically occurs, primarily on account of totally different moisture ranges in several manufacturers of beans. In case your combination is just too moist, add just a few tablespoons of additional breadcrumbs. If it is too dry, add just a few tablespoons of water.

Can I make this recipe utilizing leftover quinoa?

You certain can! You will want about 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa.

How can I scale back the sodium content material of this recipe?

Many of the sodium comes from the soy sauce and added salt. The sodium will be minimized through the use of a diminished sodium soy sauce and decreasing the quantity of salt.

Extra Quinoa Recipes

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Recipe

Bowl of Quinoa Meatballs topped with parsley and vegan parmesan cheese.

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Course Appetizer, Important, Aspect

Delicacies American, Italian-Impressed

Prep Time 15

Prepare dinner Time 50

Complete Time 1 5

Elements

½ cup dry quinoa (rinsed properly underneath chilly water if not pre-rinsed)
1 cup water
1 cup cooked or canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup contemporary basil leaves, roughly chopped
Pinch crimson pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt, or to style
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil, for brushing or spraying (optionally available)
Marinara sauce, for serving

Directions

Mix the quinoa and water in a small saucepan and set it over excessive warmth. Carry the water to a boil, then scale back it to a low simmer. Cowl the pot and let the quinoa simmer for about 20 minutes, till all the liquid has been absorbed. Let the pot sit with the lid on for about 10 minutes, then take away the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. You may start prepping the remaining substances whereas the quinoa cooks.
Place the beans, panko breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, basil, crimson pepper flakes, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a meals processor fitted with an S-blade. Add the cooked quinoa and pulse till the substances are finely chopped and properly mixed. Keep away from overblending the combination — you wish to preserve some texture. Style-test the combination and make any changes you see match.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the quinoa combination into balls, every about 1 ¼ inches in diameter. You must get about 24 of them. Organize the balls on the baking sheet and optionally brush or spritz them with olive oil (it will assist with browning).
Bake the quinoa meatballs for about half-hour, turning them midway by means of, till they really feel set and are flippantly browned.
Toss the meatballs with marinara sauce and serve.