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–+ servings

Juicy Vegan Meatballs

Forget crumbly, bland veggie balls — these vegan meatballs are tender, flavour-packed, and perfectly sturdy for simmering in sauce or loading into subs. Made with pantry staples like lentils, oats, and miso, they deliver on both taste and texture.
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Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 42 meatballs

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup cannellini beans drained and rinsed (use 400g can)
  • 200 g mushrooms sliced and roasted until golden
  • ½ cup cashews
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 lightly packed cup diced white sandwich bread crusts removed
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 3 teaspoon dried Italian herb mix basil, thyme, oregano
  • 1 small white onion grated
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon miso paste optional but recommended for umami

Instructions
 

Roast the mushrooms:

  • Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Roast sliced mushrooms for 20–25 minutes until browned and moisture is mostly evaporated. Let cool slightly.

Combine bread and onion:

  • Grate the onion using a standard box grater in a large bowl until you have about ½ cup of grated onion and juices. Add bread, mix to combine so the shallot juice soaks the bread and disintegrates. Lightly mash the soaked bread/shallot mix with a fork or your hands to help it fully break down. Set aside while you prep the other ingredients.

Prepare flax egg:

  • Mix ground flaxseed with 5 tablespoon water in a small bowl and set aside to gel for 10 minutes.

Blend the base:

  • In a food processor, combine beans, roasted mushrooms, cashews, oats, bread, parmesan, tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire, minced garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and miso (if using). Pulse until the mix is mostly combined but still slightly textured — don't over-blend.

Mix and bind:

  • Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the flax mixture and parsley. The mixture will be sticky, but that's okay. Put some wster on your hands to prevent it being too sticky.

Shape and bake:

  • Roll into small meatballs (about the size of a levelled tablespoon ~20g) and place on a lined baking sheet. Spray lightly with olive oil.

Bake:

  • Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20–25 minutes until browned and crisp on the outside.
Keyword butter beans, plant protein, protein
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