Meatballs are fantastic because they are so versatile! They can be eaten with pasta, over mashed potatoes, with tomato sauce, with gravy, by themselves, or even in a soup! These herbed vegan meatballs are fantastic because they actually have the perfect meatball texture! I made these vegan meatballs by using soy curls, flaxseed meal, breadcrumbs, and loads of herbs.
I have made vegan meatballs many a time using beans, mushrooms, tofu, and nuts. These type of vegan meatballs are fantastic, but they always are leaving me wanting more in texture! I recently have become a huge fan of soy curls, and I figured I’d give them a shot for some vegan meatballs! The results were… incredible! My whole household couldn’t stop snacking on them by themselves- that’s how great they are!
Soy curls are non-processed dehydrated whole soy bean making them healthy, full of protein, and loaded with fiber. They have a very similar texture to meat when rehydrated! Get yours at Butlerfoods.com, they usually always send some extra treats when you order directly from them!
To create these herbed vegan meatballs, I broke them into tiny crumbles using my hands while they are still dehydrated. Then, I rehydrate them with some “no-chicken” broth, mix them with a bunch of other ingredients, and roll them into beautiful balls!
This recipe makes about 20 large sized meatballs (about 2 inches in diameter!). You can also make smaller meatballs if you like, you may just have to adjust the time that you cook them!
These herbed vegan meatballs are seasoned with classic Italian spices as well as fresh sage and fennel seeds for a sausage type of flavor. I love the combination and hope you do too! You may also notice in this recipe that a lot of the ingredients are “optional.” I include a lot of aromatics such as the sage and fennel, but also cinnamon and nutmeg. If you just want a basic and simple Italian meatball, use just the Italian herbs, and they will taste fantastic!
Herbed vegan meatballs could be great for a holiday meal with mashed potatoes and gravy, in pasta sauce (pictured here), and also work wonderfully in my Vegan Italian Wedding Soup! Give these a shot for a special occasion or if you have a little extra time on your hands. They are most definitely worth it!
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of Butler Soy Curls
- 2 Shallots finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 3 cups of boiling water
- 3 tsp of Better than Bouillon “no chicken” seasoning
- 1 Tbs. of soy sauce
- 3 Tbs. of olive oil (divided)
- 2 Tbs. of flax seed meal
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds (optional)
- 7 sage leaves finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
- 3 Tbs. of nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 tsp of nutmeg (optional)
- 2 cups of plain breadcrumbs
Herbed Vegan Meatball Method:
- Preheat your oven to 375º F, and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Begin by breaking up your dehydrated soy curls up into very small pieces. I’d say about 1/4 of an inch or less. There are also a lot of small crumbles at the bottom of the bag which work great. You can also use a food processor if you work in rounds or have an extra large one. You don’t want your crumbles to be completely turned into a flour. Keep some different sized small pieces in there. I used my hands, or you could also break them up with a hard wooden spoon using it as a hammer.
- Take your small dehydrated crumbles into a large bowl, and pour over the three cups of boiling water. Mix in the Better than Bouillon “no chicken” seasoning, soy sauce, and 1 Tbs. of olive oil.
- Let these soy curl bits rehydrate! They should soak in almost all of the water in about ten minutes. There should still be a tiny amount of water that hasn’t soaked in all of the way. Next add in the flax seed meal. Stir the meal in really well and let it sit for about five minutes. This will work with that leftover moisture and create a binder for your meatballs.
- While you’re waiting for your flax seed meal to soak in, heat 1 Tbs. of olive oil in a small skillet on the stove top. Sauté your finely chopped shallot and garlic for a few minutes. If you are using the sage, add that in to sauté for the last minute. You don’t want the sage to get crispy, just to become aromatic.
- Add your sautéed shallot, garlic, and sage mixture into the big bowl of rehydrated soy curls. Now you can also add in the rest of your seasonings- the fennel seed, oregano, basil, granulated garlic, crushed red pepper, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- With your soy curls well seasoned add in 2 cups of breadcrumbs and mix well with your hands. When everything seems well incorporated, you can begin making your meatballs!
- I used 1/3 cup to measure out my meatballs. They were not exact, but all roughly the same size. Measure out a portion, roll it into a ball, and place it on your prepared baking sheet. I was able to fit all 20 large meatballs onto one baking sheet. Drizzle these lightly with the remaining 1 Tbs. of olive oil, and pop them into the oven to bake for 25 minutes. I flip them over at about 15 minutes, so that they get perfectly browned on both sides.
- Serve with what you like and enjoy! These could work great with my Classic Marinara, and I love them in my Vegan Italian Wedding Soup!
