Author: Sonja Overhiser | A Couple Of Cooks Recipe type: Easy Dinners
This vegan meatballs recipe is easy to put together, full of protein, and packed with flavor! A perfect go-to plant based dinner. 🍴
Ingredients:
8 ounces tempeh*, finely chopped
¼ cup minced white onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
¼ cup olive oil, divided*
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 to 3 cups favorite marinara sauce
Instructions:
Steam the tempeh: Place 1 ½ cups water into a saucepan with a steamer basket: the water surface should be right under the basket. Bring the water to a boil. Chop the tempeh into small pieces. Once boiling, add it to the steamer basket and steam it for 10 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients.
Mix the meatballs: Mince the white onion. Mince the garlic. Add them to a medium bowl with the breadcrumbs, fennel seeds and dried oregano. Once the tempeh is cooked, remove it from the steamer and add it to the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Stir in the soy sauce or tamari and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and mix. Once the tempeh cools slightly, use your fingers to mash it together into a uniform dough.
Form the meatballs: Use your fingers to form the dough into golf-ball sized balls, about 13 to 14 total, placing them on a plate.
Cook the meatballs: Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning them occasionally with chopsticks, until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium if it starts to smoke.
Serve: Once cooked, you can remove the meatballs from a pan and refrigerate up to 5 days until serving if you’d like. Or serve immediately: turn off the heat and add the marinara sauce to the pan (beware of spitting). Simmer for about 1 minute until warm, then top with chopped basil or parsley and serve. Store leftovers refrigerated without sauce for 5 days, or allow to cool then freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Notes:
*The meatballs save well, so we recommend making a double recipe and refrigerating or freezing leftovers! Click the 2x button for quick doubled quantities.*
That looks yummy