Italian NoMeatBalls
Meatballs! I grew up eating them in our Italian household. Of course, MY mom’s were the best, says every kid. Well, they were! Except that they were not plant based, of course. I’ve done SO MANY trials with many errors to get just the right texture on these guys. Because I’m obsessed with the texture of certain foods, I admit it.
These are soft and moist but still hold together perfectly. That was the goal. They’re not pasty or gooey, not too dense, and ohhhh the flavor is just so good. The key I believe is the ground chia seeds. They provide just the right amount of hold while giving the extra benefit of more NUTRIENTS. Yes please. You’ll need a food processor for this recipe. Let’s do this!
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Ingredients
½ bag soy curls (see notes)
1 can (about 1.5 cups) aduki beans (or any small, red beans will do)
¼ cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free which I make myself with old bread ends)
1 TBS ground flax + 4 TBS water
¼ cup chopped parsley
4 cloves crushed garlic
3 TBS ground chia seeds
2 TBS tahini
1 TBS sweet paprika
1 tsp onion granules (or powder)
1 tsp minimally processed sugar (I used coconut sugar)
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp hot chili flakes (optional and to taste)
sea salt to taste (I don’t use much salt, I added a pinch. You could also use soy sauce)
Method
Combine the ground flax with the water and set aside.
Soak the soy curls in warm water for about 10 minutes, until soft.
Rinse and squeeze out as much water as you can, then place in a food processor with ½ of the beans.
Process until the soy curls are pretty pulverized but not mushy.
Add all remaining ingredients, including the remaining beans, and pulse until fully combined but not completely mushy. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times as the mixture is pretty thick.
Add love! 💗
Roll the mixture into balls. I use a level 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, which is the perfect size for these. I spray my hand with a little cooking oil when rolling to prevent sticking.
Cook on medium heat in a non-stick pan, rolling them around for even cooking until they are golden brown. You could also bake them at 350º for 15 minutes and then flip them and bake another 15. I prefer the pan method because I can get them browned on all surfaces. If you’re looking for an exceptional nonstick pan, the Scanpan is my choice, hands down. Yes, it’s costly. But it will last forever and trust me, NOTHING sticks to it.
That’s it! It’s a pretty easy recipe. I hope you’ll try it. Makes 14 NoMeatBalls. Enjoy!
Notes
Have you used soy curls yet? They are amazing to me, mostly because of the meaty texture they impart on my plant based, meat-replacement dishes. Plus they contain only ONE ingredient… soy. Anyway, they come in a bag and there are various particle sizes. Whenever I’m making a loaf, burgers, or these balls, I try to fish out the larger pieces and save them for dishes that require larger soy curls, (like these yummy BBQ soy curls!) then just use the smaller bits.
