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.
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes 2 standard tins
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
For the meatballs
- 200 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon yeast extract eg Marmite
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 4 tablespoons gram flour*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons water
- 150 g dried soya mince
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion granules
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon 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 tablespoon yeast extract, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon tomato purée. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl add 4 tablespoons gram flour*. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 4 tablespoons cold water. Mix with a fork until smooth and set aside.
- Place 150g dried soya mince into a mixing bowl. Add ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon onion granules, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon 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 tablespoon 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.
- Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only.
Nutrition
Calories: 365kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 17gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 1874mgPotassium: 740mgFiber: 8gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 691IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 162mgIron: 7mg
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