The Best Ever Vegetarian Meatballs

These meatless meatballs are the perfect hearty, satisfying, and easy meal to whip up for dinner. Made with just 5 simple ingredients in one bowl, these vegetarian meatballs are the best you’ll ever have!

The Best Ever Vegetarian Meatballs

Who says meatballs are just for meat eaters? Just because you’re cutting back on your meat consumption or cutting it out altogether, doesn’t mean you can enjoy nostalgic classics like hearty spaghetti and meatballs or a good ol’ meatball sub. These easy vegetarian meatballs taste just as good as the real deal and make meatless mondays a breeze. Plus they’re made with just 5 simple ingredients and come together in under an hour, so they’re the perfect easy vegetarian dinner to whip up on a weeknight.

How do you make meatballs sans the meat?

Now you might be scratching your head at this point. How can you make a meaty, hearty, juicy, meatball without using meat? I love a good lentil, mushroom, or bean based veggie burger, but it’s just not quite the same as the real deal. That’s where a store bought meat alternative comes in.

I’ve made these vegetarian meatballs with both Impossible and Beyond Meat and both ground meat alternatives taste just like the real deal and bake up into sizzling meatballs that will leave you salivating.

Ingredients for the best vegetarian meatballs

We love a simple meal. I mean 5 ingredients? One bowl? Sign a girl up. These vegetarian meatballs are super easy to throw together and even easier to shop for. Here’s your list:

• Vegetarian Ground Meat: We usually use Beyond Meat, but you could also use Impossible Ground Meat or another comparable alternative!
• Egg: 1 egg will bind together your meatballs and help give them that same shape and juicy texture as a real meatball.
• Bread Crumbs: This may sound counterintuitive, but bread crumbs will help your meatballs stay super moist. The breadcrumbs absorb the juices from the meat, trapping all those tasty flavors inside of the vegetarian meatballs, leaving you with a flavorful, juicy meatball.
• Garlic: A few cloves of garlic pack a nick garlicky punch into your meatballs that perfect complements the hearty, meaty flavor.
• Onion: I like to use about 1/2 of a large white onion in my meatballs. It gives them a nice texture and flavor and helps to bulk them up a little.
• Salt + Pepper: I’m a salty girl, so you best believe there’s a healthy dose of salt in these savory meatballs. Feel free to salt and pepper these guys to your taste!

Can you make these vegetarian meatballs into vegan meatballs?

Because these vegetarian meatballs have an egg in them, they are not vegan friendly. BUT, with just a little tweak to the recipe, you can absolutely vegan-ify these for any plant-based friends. I’ve had success make these with a flax egg! Simply swap out the egg for a 1 Tablespoon of flax seed mixed with 3 Tablespoons of water and you’ve got yourself vegan meatballs.

Make sure to not use any parmesan cheese if you’re making these for a vegan friend!

What to serve these vegetarian meatballs with

I honestly eat these plain because they’re that darn tasty, but meatballs are SO versatile. You can sub these vegetarian meatballs in place of regular meatballs in pretty much any recipe. Some of my favorite meals to use these lil’ guys in are:

• Spaghetti and meatballs
• Meatball subs
• As a pizza topping
• Meatball and veggie kebabs
• In soup

The options are endless! We hope you enjoy these vegetarian meatballs just as much as we do!

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• Author: Sarah | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 large meatballs

The Best Ever Vegetarian Meatballs

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These meatless meatballs are the perfect hearty, satisfying, and easy meal to whip up for dinner. Made with just 5 simple ingredients in one bowl, these vegetarian meatballs are the best you’ll ever have!

• Author: Sarah | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 large meatballs

Units: USM

Ingredients

• 1 pound Beyond Meat ground meat (or whatever brand you prefer!)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. In large bowl combine all ingredients for the meatballs, using a fork or your hands to mix together.
2. Cover the bowl and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes, but up to 8 hours if you’re prepping ahead of time.
3. When ready to bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400°F.
4. Use a large cookie scoop to make 2 inch round meat balls and place a few inches apart on your cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven up to a broil and broil until the meatballs are sizzling and golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Serve hot! My favorite is with homemade tomato sauce and fresh pasta. Enjoy!