How to make Delicious Vegan Meatballs

We weren’t always vegan, so we understand how difficult the transition can be. On this blog, I want to make the switch to vegan food seamless. We asked the community how we can help, and providing vegan-ized classic meals was at the top of the list. That’s why we created this delicious recipe for homemade vegan meatballs. What’s more, this is our first recipe using Impossible Burger (TM) plant meat. We were very impressed with the results!

Note: we’re not getting any payment or other incentives from
Impossible Foods for this post.

What makes a Meatball?

The ingredient list for our vegan meatball recipe is simple. I used:

• Impossible Burger (TM) plant meat
• Onion + garlic
• Salt + pepper
• Fresh parsley
• Breadcrumbs
• Vegan parmesan
• Veggie broth
• One flax egg

Vegan Meatballs are not Impossible

Firstly, a flax egg is the recipe’s secret for binding the meatballs together. Making flax eggs is easy – mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of vegetable broth and leave it to sit for five minutes to form a thick gel. The flax egg will mix with the Impossible Burger plant meat and other recipe ingredients, holding them together during cooking.

Next, puree the onion and garlic in a food processor and blitz them until almost puree. If you leave these ingredients as large chunks the meatballs may fall apart.

Finally, there are the breadcrumbs. These are often described as a binder. However, their role is actually to retain moisture. Basically, the breadcrumbs soak up the veggie broth and hold it in. As a result, you prevent the meatballs from getting too tough and dry.

We dump all these ingredients into a bowl and season with salt, pepper, and some vegan parmesan (for a little umami kick). Next, everything gets really well mixed. You want the mixture to be smooth and homogenous to help it stick together. Now, prepare the vegan meatballs by rolling the mix into bite-sized balls (smaller than a golf ball, but larger than a grape). Be sure to wet your hands before rolling to stop the mixture from sticking.

Baked or Fried?

We’ve tried two different cooking methods for these meatballs and both gave great results.

Oven: pre-het the oven to 425F. Then line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and place the meatballs on it. Bake the meatballs in the oven for around 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Frying: coat a pan with a little oil (or even better, spray oil) and warm over medium heat. When the pan reaches temperature, add the meatballs and fry until golden brown. However, note that this method tends to flatten the meatballs on the sides. Therefore, if you prefer a rounder effect, use the oven. Note: if you want to avoid adding additional oil altogether you can cook without it by adding a splash of water to the pan whenever the meatballs start to stick.

Meatball Buddies

Now that you’ve made vegan meatballs, how will you enjoy them? You may already have a plan, but if not here are some ideas:

• Paired with a lip-smacking marinara sauce and pasta.
• On their own with ketchup or mustard (provide toothpicks to make them into finger food).
• Smothered in vegan gravy.
• Psuedo-Swedish, with gravy, mashed potato, and lingonberry jam (time for that IKEA trip). However, don’t fret if you can’t get the jam – cranberry sauce makes a great substitute.
• Or anywhere that meatballs are usually found!

We hope you enjoyed this recipe for Vegan Meatballs using Impossible Burger plant meat. If you tried it, please let us know what you think with a comment and eating. Every bit of feedback helps make the blog even better!

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