Vegan Italian Meatballs | Pasta-based Vegan Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are vegan meatballs made of? ›

Made with mushrooms, walnuts, and black beans, they're crisp on the outside, tender in the middle, and full of savory flavor. These vegan meatballs are the best I've tried. They're intensely flavorful, made with roasted mushrooms, a mix of savory spices, and balsamic vinegar for tang.

And the good news is, meatless meatballs can taste just as delicious and are even healthier than their meaty counterparts.

Thankfully, mashed potatoes work as an excellent egg substitute for meatballs. The function of egg in meatballs has very little to do with flavor and more to do with its binding properties, similar to why you might use breadcrumbs in meatloaf or burgers: to help everything hold together.

Because of their processed nature, plant-based meats don't provide a plethora (or sometimes any) of the nutrients that make whole plant foods so good for you, such as significant amounts of fiber, vitamins, minerals, monounsaturated fats, and polyphenols.

Add a lightly beaten egg, but not too much. Egg acts as a binder for the ingredients, but you only need a small amount. One small egg will do for one pound of minced meat. Alternatively, if you're following an egg-free diet, you could soak fresh bread in milk, squeezing out any excess milk, to use as a binder.

Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked. Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked. Parmesan: My secret ingredient for the best meatballs! Parmigiano-Reggiano adds flavor and salt to our mixture.

Vegetarians and vegans typically have lower body mass index, serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and blood pressure than comparable regular meat-eaters, as well as lower bone mineral density.

Is it safe to eat vegan meat everyday? ›

Plant-based meats can be a healthy part of a balanced diet if you enjoy them in the right way. Consuming plant-based meats in moderation along with fruits, veggies and other nutrient-dense foods can profoundly support your health.

If you don't have vegan Parmesan, you can use extra nutritional yeast in its place. If you don't have ground flax seed, soak your breadcrumbs in plant milk to replicate the binding agent. Use 1 tablespoon of unsweetened plant milk for 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. The texture of the meatballs will be softer.

The Key to Tender Meatballs

One trick to making sure meatballs are totally tender once they're cooked is to use a binder. Here, we're soaking fresh or dried breadcrumbs in a little milk until the bread becomes soggy, then mixing that right into the meat.

Chill your meatballs: refrigerating your meatballs an hour before cooking helps them hold their shape throughout the cooking process. They can chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking, making meatballs a great make-ahead dish, too.

Developed with meat lovers in mind, the plant ball is made from pea protein, oats, potato and apple. The meaty taste is achieved by adding umami flavors, such as mushroom, tomato and roasted vegetables.

The main vegetable protein sources were soy (91/148) and wheat gluten (42/148). Comparatively, 43/148 contained animal protein, the most common being egg. Overall, PBMAs had a long list of ingredients and additives, and they were classified as ultra-processed foods (UPFs) according to the NOVA system.

Soy protein

Soy is most commonly sold as mince, cutlets, or balls. As with tofu, marinades and spice mixtures can be added to produce virtually any aroma or flavor. This makes soy ideal for vegetarian burgers, meatballs, cutlets, bolognese sauce, or chilli sin carne.

We blended our best-selling Impossible™ Beef Meat From Plants and Impossible™ Sausage Meat From Plants, then added a custom blend of herbs and spices to create the best meatballs on (and for!) the planet. Impossible Meatballs are fully cooked and ready to go whenever you are -- just heat and eat!