Baked vegan meatballs in tomato sauce

What could be better for dinner than a plate of flavour-packed vegan meatballs in a rich tomato sauce? These meatballs are soy-based and have plenty of umami taste. They’re baked, not fried, to keep them healthier and are utterly delicious served in a slow-cooked tomato sauce. A great vegan or vegetarian dinner that the whole family can enjoy.

I’ve tried many different vegan meatballs over the years - both homemade and shop bought - and these are by far my favourites.

While I do love these aubergine meatballs, my kids aren’t overly enamoured with them. These ones are much more popular.

They are made of soy mince. A gram flour mixture and breadcrumbs hold them together and they’re flavoured with spices, marmite, soy sauce and tomato purée. It really is worth taking the time to add all of these ingredients and make sure they’re well seasoned as they’ll taste so much better.

These vegan meatballs are a popular family dinner here. I usually serve them in a tomato sauce (recipe below) to up the goodness levels.

How difficult are vegan meatballs to make?

Although the recipe is quite long, these vegan meatballs aren’t hard to make at all, and there’s very little actual cooking involved.

The ingredients list is long to ensure that there’s plenty of flavour in your meatballs and also to ensure that they hold together.

The gram flour and the breadcrumbs do a great job but you will also need to get your hands in that mixture and squeeze as you roll them into balls. 

What should you serve with your vegan meatballs?

• Our favourite way to eat these vegan meatballs is to make them into meatballs subs. Simply serve them in submarine rolls (hot dog buns are a good substitute), fill with meatballs and sauce and drizzle with cashew cheese sauce. Prepare to get messy!
• I also love them with rice.
• But my kids prefer to eat them with pasta or spaghetti.
• Served with a baked potato or baked sweet potato is also a good way to enjoy your vegan meatballs.
• You can also make the meatballs without the tomato sauce and serve them with mashed potato and a creamy mustard sauce as in this recipe by The Veg Space.

What ingredients do you need to make vegan meatballs?

Don’t let the length of the ingredients list put you off - most of the ingredients are there for flavour.

• 200ml vegetable stock 
• 1 tbsp yeast extract eg Marmite
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 4 tbsp gram flour (chickpea flour)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp water
• 150g dried soya mince
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion granules
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 cloves crushed garlic 
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 150g wholemeal breadcrumbs

Do you need any special equipment to make these meatballs?

Not at all. You will need:

• a large mixing bowl
• a baking tray
• non-stick baking paper

More recipes you might like 

• Aubergine meatballs 
• Quorn chicken and leek pie
• Veggie sausage pasta bake
• Potato and quinoa burgers
• Sweet potato and peanut stew
• Vegan mushroom meatballs
• Baked gnocchi

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How to make vegan meatballs in tomato sauce

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Vegan meatballs in tomato sauce

Delicious soy-based vegan meatballs that are packed full of flavour. Served with a rich tomato sauce this is a wonderful vegetarian dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Vegan

Servings 4 people

Calories 365 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the meatballs

• 200 ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp yeast extract eg Marmite
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 4 tbsp gram flour*
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp water
• 150 g dried soya mince
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion granules
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 150 g wholemeal breadcrumbs

To serve

• Chopped flatleaf parsley
• Pasta spaghetti, rice, or sub rolls
• Cashew sauce

Instructions

 

To make the tomato sauce

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan.
• Add 1 chopped onion and sauté over a medium-low heat until soft. Stir often.
• Add 2 cloves crushed garlic and stir well. Cook for a further minute.
• Pour in two tins of chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp dried oregano. Season with a little salt and black pepper.
• Bring to the boil then reduce to a low simmer while you make the meatballs. Stir occasionally.

To make the meatballs

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.**
• Put 200ml hot vegetable stock into a jug or bowl and add 1 tbsp yeast extract, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp tomato purée. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl add 4 tbsp gram flour*. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 4 tbsp cold water. Mix with a fork until smooth and set aside.
• Place 150g dried soya mince into a mixing bowl. Add ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp onion granules, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp sea salt and a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper.
• Pour in the vegetable stock mixture and stir well.
• Add 2 cloves crushed garlic and 1 tbsp freshly chopped fresh parsley and mix again.
• Pour in the gram flour mixture and stir well.
• Finally add the 150g wholemeal breadcrumbs and mix well.
• Use your hands to form into 18-20 meatball-sized balls and place on the prepared baking tray. You will need to squeeze them quite firmly to make sure they hold together.
• Bake in the hot oven** for 15 minutes then carefully turn over and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until turning brown all over.

To serve

• Taste your tomato sauce and season with extra salt and pepper if needed. Pour the tomato sauce into a serving bowl and place the meatballs in the sauce. The meatballs can be a little delicate so treat them gently. Sprinkle over a little chopped flat leaf parsley if liked and add extra black pepper.
• Our favourite way to eat these is as meatball subs. Cut a roll in half and fill with meatballs and tomato sauce. Drizzle over some cashew sauce. However, you can also serve with pasta, spaghetti or rice, or even mashed potato, if preferred.

Notes

*chickpea flour
** if preferred you can fry these meatballs, in which case you don’t need to preheat the oven or line a baking tray.

Nutrition

Calories: 365kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 17gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 1874mgPotassium: 740mgFiber: 8gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 691IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 162mgIron: 7mg

Keyword vegan meatballs

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This recipe is adapted from the vegan meatballs recipe by Veggie Gib.

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