Growing up, Friday night pasta was a staple in our home. Weekday meals typically featured my mom's daals and sabzis, while my dad took charge of the pasta on Fridays. With my brother and I on the swim team, our dad made sure we carb-loaded for Saturday morning meets—think all the pasta we could eat!
Over the years, I've found ways to enhance the classic spaghetti dish (let's skip the days we forgot to salt the pasta water!). However, I've often struggled to add substance to my spaghetti servings. As a vegetarian, I've appreciated the rise of meatless options, but many brands contain ingredients I can't even pronounce. So, I decided to create my own vegan meatball recipe that's perfect for spaghetti night.
There are numerous vegetarian meatball recipes online, each utilizing different base ingredients. The best ones feature grains like bulgur or oats, though I prefer not to mix grains with pasta. Some recipes include eggs for binding, while others have long ingredient lists that deter me. I aimed to merge the best elements from various recipes to craft these tasty vegan meatballs.
This meatball recipe uses shiitake mushrooms and Cannellini beans as its foundation. I adore mushrooms for their meaty texture and umami flavor, which elevate these meatballs. Cannellini beans provide ample protein and help bind the mixture. I kept the seasonings simple, but feel free to customize with herbs like parsley or basil. These meatballs are entirely vegan, loaded with protein and fiber, and simply delicious.
Curious about preparation methods? I cooked these two ways: one on the stove and the other in the oven. While the stovetop version was tasty, the oven-baked meatballs had superior texture and required less hands-on time.
What's even better? You can prepare these in advance. Bake them during your Sunday meal prep and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. I made mine the night before and they were perfect for dinner the following evening. We love recipes that are flavorful yet straightforward. Cheers to your next pasta night!
Preparation Time
20 minutes
Cooking Time
35 minutes
Categories
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion or 1 large shallot, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large clove garlic
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned, and chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- handful of fresh basil leaves
- scant 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs + 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- olive oil for drizzling
Directions
- In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and salt; sauté until the onion becomes translucent, about a few minutes.
- Incorporate garlic, chopped mushrooms, soy sauce, black pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme, and oregano. Stir and cook for a few minutes until mushrooms caramelize slightly.
- Mix in Cannellini beans and stir; cook for about a minute before removing from heat. Add chopped basil and let the mixture cool slightly.
- Transfer about 2/3 of the mushroom mixture to a food processor with 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs. Pulse until just combined, preserving some texture. Combine this with the remaining mushrooms and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in a bowl. Stir well.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, form the mixture into balls and place them on the baking sheet. You should yield around 16 meatballs.
- Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes. Flip the meatballs and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Once done, toss them in your preferred marinara sauce or store in the fridge to serve with pasta when ready. Enjoy!
