Vegan Quinoa Meatballs
These quinoa meatballs are hearty, perfectly textured, and loaded with zesty Italian flavor! Easy to make and incredibly versatile, they're perfect for piling onto pasta, stuffing into sandwiches, or enjoying on their own.
Servings: 6
Calories: 133kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry quinoa (rinsed well under cold 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 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Olive oil, for brushing or spraying (optional)
- Marinara sauce, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the quinoa and water in a small saucepan and set it over high heat. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce it to a low simmer. Cover the pot and let the quinoa simmer for about 20 minutes, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Let the pot sit with the lid on for about 10 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. You can begin prepping the remaining ingredients while the quinoa cooks.
- Place the beans, panko breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Add the cooked quinoa and pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped and well combined. Avoid overblending the mixture — you want to keep some texture. Taste-test the mixture and make any adjustments you see fit.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the quinoa mixture into balls, each about 1 ¼ inches in diameter. You should get about 24 of them. Arrange the balls on the baking sheet and optionally brush or spritz them with olive oil (this will help with browning).
- Bake the quinoa meatballs for about 30 minutes, turning them halfway through, until they feel set and are lightly browned.
- Toss the meatballs with marinara sauce and serve.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 24 meatballs.
- Nutrition information does not include sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 4meatballs | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 713mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg