A high protein vegan and gluten free meatball recipe that is perfect for easy family meal. Made with quinoa, black beans and mushrooms. this recipe has a great texture and doesn't fall apart. Super delicious and nutritious and totally kid friendly recipe. A great recipe to meal prepping
1cupquick oatsadd another 1/2 cup if batter is too wet
1cupcooked quinoa
½cupchickpea flour
½cup black olivespitted, about 15
½onion
2garlic cloves
1tbspolive oilextra virgin
1tbspsoy saucegluten free
1tbspItalian seasoning
½tspsalt
Sauteed mushrooms
½cupwhite mushroomssliced
1tbspsoy saucegluten free
Marinara sauce (skip if using store bought)
1oniondiced
3clovesgarlicminced
1tbspolive oilextra virgin
2tbspItalian seasoning
1 ½tbscoconut sugar
¼tsp salt
4roma tomatoesdiced
1 ½cupstomato puree1 can
Instructions
Making the quinoa meatballs
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile cook the quinoa (if you haven’t already) as per package directions. Then to a saucepan add the mushrooms and soy sauce and sautee for about 5 minutes.
To a food processor add in all the ingredients for the meatballs, including the cooked quinoa and sauteed mushrooms. Process until a batter forms. It should be wet but sticky enough that you can form meatballs. If the batter is to wet add in more chickpea flour.
Roll with your hands into meatballs and place onto a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes then increase the heat to 425 and shake the pan to move the meatballs around. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden.
Making the marinara sauce
In a large saucepan over medium heat sautee the onions in the olive oil until soft. Then add in the garlic and spices. Cook for another few minutes then add in the tomatoes and tomato puree.
Reduce the heat and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. If you like a sweeter sauce you can simmer the sauce for another 30 minutes but I find that after 15-20 minutes the sauce is perfect.
Add in the meatballs, stir and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the meatballs to absorb some of the sauce. Then serve over pasta, rice or with a side salad.NOTES
Notes
If you meal prep this recipe, or are wanting to freeze the meatballs, do so before you add them to the sauce. They will hold up much better that way. Otherwise they will get soggy. They are find to store in the sauce if you have leftover for a day or two.