This vegetarian meatballs recipe has a meaty texture and are the best meatballs! Try this his meatless recipe the next time you are craving spaghetti and meatballs!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
The best meatless meatballs: it is the best homemade veggie meatballs recipe with nutty savory flavors are so delicious and goes great with any type of sauce!
Versatile recipe: this veggie balls come together quickly, can easily be made a vegan recipe, and can be made in the oven or in a skillet.
Plant-based meatballs: made with pecan meal which adds protein instead of meat and incorporates healthy fats.
🥘 Ingredients
Gravy master, this is a flavor enhancer that is meat free.
🔪 Instructions
- Add the eggs to a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Stir in the pecan meal and cheddar cheese and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, turning to medium heat if needed, until the onion softens.
- Whisk in the almond butter, stirring until melted and incorporated with the onion mixture. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the onion mixture to the egg mixture and stir until well until combined. Stir in the bread crumbs.
To bake meatballs
- Scoop onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Spray top of meatballs with olive oil cooking spray and bake at in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the meatballs over, return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes, until vegetarian meatballs are golden brown.
To fry meatballs
- To fry meatballs, place in a large skillet with a small amount of olive oil and fry in a hot skillet until golden brown on all sides.
🥄 Equipment
Baking tray
🥫Storage
Refrigerate: store any leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days.
Freeze: store in a freezer-safe container up to 3 months.
Reheat: reheat in the oven at 300 degrees or microwave until warm.
📖 Variations
- Soy sauce or tomato paste can be substituted for the gravy master.
- Add 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast to boost b-vitamins.
- Serve with mushroom soup for a vegetarian swedish meatballs recipe.
- Substitute half of the cheddar cheese with parmesan cheese.
- To make this a vegan meatball recipe, use vegan cheese and substitute with a commercial vegan egg replacer or substitute ⅓ cup of ground flax meal mixed with 1 cup of water making a flax egg.
- Serve with a sweet and sour sauce instead of marinara sauce.
- Add some crushed fennel seeds to give this vegetarian meatball recipe an italian sausage flavor.
- Add a couple tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes to boost flavors.
💭 Tips
- To make a veggie burger instead of meatballs, once the portion has been placed in the skillet or baking sheet, flatten the ball with the back of a spoon.
- To fry, heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat until hot. Add meatballs to the skillet and fry until golden on all sides. If meatballs are browning too quickly, turn the heat down to medium, medium-low.
- Make a double recipe and freeze half of the batch up to 3 months for future meals.
- If you have a food processor, use it to mix together the meatball mixture.
🙋 FAQ's
Pecan meal made by grinding pecans until a coarse nut flour forms.
Yes, while my preferred method of cooking is to bake them, pan frying them will also work. Just cook over a medium high heat until golden brown on all sides.
📚 Related Recipes
Vegetarian Chicken Fried Steaks, made with homemade Vegan Steaks!
Vegetarian Tostadas are super easy and so delicious! My family loves when this recipe is on the table.
Another vegetarian recipe I grew up with, this. Vegetarian Meatloaf is easy and delicious!
Lentil lovers will love this Lentil Loaf.
🏫 The last word
Vegetarian food does not have to taste like the real deal in order to be delicious. Many people go into a vegetarian recipe thinking it will taste like the real thing and then will be disappointed.
If you are making this recipe, I highly recommend that you go into it knowing it will not taste like meat. These meatballs are made are the perfect comfort food for the vegetarian.
🍽 Serve with...
This vegetarian meatballs recipe is delicious enjoyed in the traditional way topped with homemade pasta sauce and cooked spaghetti noodles, or serve in a sub roll topped with marinara sauce and cheese, then place under the broiler until the cheese is lightly browned.
These meatballs can also be cooked, then broken up and used in this recipe for Low Carb Barbecue Beef Pinwheels (also a meatless recipe).
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When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Mom's Vegetarian Meatballs
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Ingredients
- 6 large eggs , well beaten
- 1 cup pecan meal
- 1 small onion , finely diced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic , diced
- 1 teaspoon gravy master
- 2 cups Italian flavored bread crumbs
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Add the eggs to a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Stir in the pecan meal and cheddar cheese and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, or until the onion softens. Whisk in the almond butter, stirring until melted and incorporated with the onion mixture.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the onion mixture to the egg mixture and stir until well until combined. Stir in the bread crumbs.
- Scoop onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Spray top of meatballs with olive oil cooking spray and bake at in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the meatballs over, return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes, until vegetarian meatballs are golden brown.
Joan says
These sound delicious. As a mom of a daughter who is vegetarian, I'm always looking for vegetarian recipes that I can serve to the whole family without making the rest of us feel meat deprived. This sounds alike a great option. We are also eating healthy and watching our calorie intake. Do you have a idea of the calories on this dish?
Thanks!
Shelby says
Hi Joan, I don't have it calculated but will do it for you and get back to you.
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom says
These look delicious - I lean vegetarian and would love these!
Ala says
Whoo! What an awesome household you must have grown up in--vegetarian meatballs sound right up my alley, and it's great to have variety. Thank you for sharing this!
Cindys Recipes and Writings says
They say we taste with our eyes first but the smell of your dinner cooking proved otherwise!
Foodie Stuntman says
Glad you won over your spouse with these meatballs.
Renee Goerger says
HaHaHa! I adore Grumpy's comments. Priceless! These look yummy. I'd happily eat 4 or 5 🙂
Renee - Kudos Kitchen
Sarah Reid says
That sounds great! Never seen pecans used for balls before either
Camilla Mann says
Okay, I'm intrigued. I have some almond meal. I might try it with that! 😉 Thanks for sharing.
honeyb says
Oh, and questions--what is gravy master? And is pecan meal the only one you've ever used? (Not biggie, I can grind up any nut, just wondering.)
honeyb says
I will definitely have to fool my family until they've finished eating, then tell them. I did that with a meatless "meatloaf"--told them after they ate it and liked it and they still think I was mean. I don't care. Those meatballs look and sound good and I want them. Meat schmeat.
Liz Berg says
Haha, I love your hubby's comment...what an endorsement. I bet they ARE delicious!!!
Christy @ Confessions of a Culinary Diva says
How interesting, they sound downright delicious!
Renee says
And so I'll have to make these to check out that (expletive) awesome smell (and flavor too).