I have two pasta sauce recipes on the blog so far, and figured it was about time I came up with a ‘traditional’ meatball replacement to go with them.
The big challenge with whole food, plant based, no oil recipes like these ones is managing texture. I’ve not yet found someone, through my years following the recipes of other people or trying food at restaurants, who has been able to achieve that true ‘meat-like’ texture while also staying in the realm of healthy – in all truthfulness, healthy plant-foods can only take you so far down this road.
But, BUT, I think this recipe has gotten pretty damn close. Will it have that bouncy texture that you get with real meat, or a protein-isolate alternative? No! Of course not. These are bean based patties that can serve the role of a meatball, but won’t trick you into believing they’re the real thing.
If I’ve not yet completely undersold this recipe, let me assure you that it still has great texture, fabulous flavor, and is a recipe I have thoroughly enjoyed eating throughout the entire time I’ve tested it. It’s healthy, flavorful, and has that drier, crispier texture on the outside with a softer, chewier texture on the inside reminiscence of a meatball. It lands comfortably and enticingly into the full blown spaghetti-and-meatball experience or can even stand by itself as an unpaired snack. My favorite way to enjoy it is smothered in my fresh basil pasta sauce because the freshness and lightness of that sauce pairs ridiculously well with these meatless meatballs and bring out their great Italian flavor.
You might think the inspiration for the recipe came from falafel, but it actually started with my chickpea meatloaf recipe – I figured if I could get that to have decent texture compared to a real meatloaf that I had to have some luck with meatballs, too!
The flavor is:
- Italian (as expected)
- Well-balanced
- Spicy (if you so choose)
- All around delicious
I really did eat these repeatedly through the testing process and didn’t grow tired of them, and am very happy to add them to my list of go-to recipes whenever I feel that meatball-itch.
Part of what really gets it to the best texture possible for a bean-based ball is the cooking method. Rather than baking these and hoping for the best (which I tried and wasn’t happy with), I’ve actually found that rolling these oat and pan-searing them produces the best end-result. To push it even further into a happy-textured-place, baking them after that pulls out some of the moisture from the inside without drying them out too much on the outside, and makes them hold up to sauce or refrigeration for future eating even better.
If you try out this recipe, please share it with me by commenting here or on my YouTube channel, or even tagging me in a photo on Instagram @plantsnotplastic. I read every comment and love hearing from you. Enjoy!
Chickpea Oat Flour Meatless Meatballs
Equipment
- large nonstick sauté pan
- Medium mixing bowl
- nonstick or lined baking tray
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces cremini mushrooms finely diced; optional
- 1 flax egg 1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water
- 1.5 cups white beans or chickpeas drained and completely rinsed [note#1]; sub black beans
- 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp EACH basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme & sage sub 1 heaping tbsp Italian spice mix
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional; for spiceness
- 2 tbsp soy sauce sub tamari or liquid aminos for gluten free
- 3 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup
- 1.5 cups oat flour
Instructions
- Sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until the bottom of the pan has started to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and allow their water to deglaze the pan. Add a splash of water if needed. Let their water cook off completely until the pan just start to caramelize again, then remove from the heat and allow the pan and veggies to sit and cool slightly to remove anything stuck to the bottom.
- In the meantime, in a medium mixing bowl, mash your beans and combine them with all of your other ingredients except the oat flour and mix until well combined.
- Add the veggies and oat flour and mix again until well combined. Your batter should be somewhat firm but not flakey; dry enough to hold it's shape. Add more flour 1/4 cup at a time as needed to get the right consistency.
- Roll out your chickpea balls using ~2 tbsp per ball and place on a dry plate or baking tray so they aren't touching.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bring your clean, dry nonstick pan back over a medium heat. Sear each chickpea ball on all sides, rotating them in the pan with your fingers or a spoon or spatula [note#2] until each side is a golden brown.
- Transfer your seared chickpea balls into your baking tray and bake for 20 minutes to cook them through.
- Serve by themselves or with tomato sauce poured over the top, or serve them as a topping over a pasta of your choice.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you don't rinse and drain you beans completely, the liquid will make your chickpea ball batter too runny or sticky to work with. Add more flour if this is the case until you get the right consistency.
- When I do this, I start by putting them in the pan and then tipping each ball on it's side after about 30-40 seconds, and from there just rotate them with my fingers every 20-40 seconds so that any unseared parts are face down. After removing them from the heat, they will be slightly 'cube' shaped, so I reform them a bit into a ball shape before baking them.
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