Vegan Meatballs

5 from 6 votes

Beautifully bouncy vegan meatballs cooked in a delicious classic marinara sauce. Ideal for spaghetti and meatball subs!

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian American

Servings:

Calories: 368kcal

Author: Richard Makin

Equipment

1 large, deep frying pan
2 Medium bowls
Blender
1 Cookie scoop
1 Large Frying Pan

Ingredients

For the Marinara Sauce

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ an onion finely sliced
6 cloves garlic finely sliced
400 g peeled San Marzano tomatoes from a can
Pinch chilli flakes
Pinch dried oregano
4 leaves fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Meatballs

400 g vegan mince aka ground in the US (see note below)
½ an onion finely sliced
3 cloves garlic minced to a paste
Small bunch of fresh parsley
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
55 g stale sourdough
70 ml soy milk unsweetened and unflavoured
2 tablespoon olive oil

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

To Make the Marinara Sauce

Place a large, deep frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and fry until starting to turn translucent, around 2 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes but do not let the onion or garlic brown.
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ an onion, 6 cloves garlic
Open the can of tomatoes and transfer to a medium bowl. Crush the tomatoes with your hands then add to the pan along with any tomato juice. Fill the can half-way with water, swill around to catch any residual tomato juice and add to the pan.
400 g peeled San Marzano tomatoes
Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat slightly. Stir in the chilli flakes, oregano and basil then leave to simmer, stirring occasionally for around 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and the oil has risen to the surface and turned a bright red colour.
Pinch chilli flakes, Pinch dried oregano, 4 leaves fresh basil
Season to taste with the salt and pepper then remove from the heat and set aside.
Salt and pepper to taste

To Make the Meatballs

Place the vegan mince/ground in a medium bowl and add the onion, garlic, fresh parsley, salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands until you have a uniform mixture.
400 g vegan mince, ½ an onion, 3 cloves garlic, Small bunch of fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Place the sourdough in a blender and blitz until you have rough breadcrumbs. Transfer to a bowl and add the soy milk. Mix to combine then leave to soak for 2 minutes. Add the soaked breadcrumbs to the meatball mixture and, again, mix together with your hands until evenly combined.
55 g stale sourdough, 70 ml soy milk
Use a cookie scoop to divide the mixture into roughly equal sized portions (i got about 20) then use your hands to roll into balls. Set aside.
Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the meatballs and fry for around 5 minutes, swirling the pan often to make sure they brown on all sides.
2 tablespoon olive oil
Once browned, reduce the heat and add the marinara sauce to the pan of meatballs. Bring to a simmer. Once hot and bubbling, it's ready to serve. Serve on pasta or in my vegan meatball sub sandwich!

Notes

1. This recipe only really works with fresh vegan mince (aka ground). TVP or frozen mince won't hold together and cook in the same way. Look for brands like Meatless Farm, Beyond Meat and Naturli. To get nerdy, you're looking for a mince containing methyl cellulose. This just means it'll be soft when raw and firm once cooked, like real meat.

Nutrition