Vegan Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Meatballs

• Vegetarian

• Produce

  • 1/3 cup (20 g fresh basil, loosely packed fresh
  • 1/3 cup (36 g chopped sun-dried tomatoes, loosely packed dry
  • 1 15-ounce (425 g chickpeas
  • 3 Cloves garlic (~9 g

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Flax egg

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 pinch Sea salt and red pepper flakes

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 2 tbsp Olive oil

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 1/2 cup Panko bread crumb

• Dairy

  • 1/2 cup Parmesan, Vegan

Found on minimalistbaker.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp (7 g) flax seed meal + 2.5 Tbsp ( ml) water)
• 2 Tbsp (15-30 ml) olive oil, divided, plus more for sautéing
• 3 cloves garlic (~9 g), minced
• 1/3 cup (22 g) panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup loosely packed (20 g) fresh basil, chopped
• 1/3 cup loosely packed (36 g) chopped sun-dried tomatoes (dry, not in oil)
• 1/3 cup (26 g) vegan parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• pinch each sea salt and red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
• optional: 1 Tbsp dried oregano (or 2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped)
• 1 15-ounce (425 g) chickpeas*, drained, rinsed and dried
• 2 Tbsp (10 g) vegan parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp (12 g) panko bread crumbs

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare flax egg in your food processor or high speed blender.
• Heat a large metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil and minced garlic. Sauté until slightly browned, stirring often - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly, then add to food processor or blender with flax egg.
• Next add panko bread crumbs, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, vegan parmesan cheese, salt + red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and 1 Tbsp olive oil (15 ml). Pulse/blend until small bits remain, scraping down sides as needed.
• Next add rinsed/dried chickpeas (see notes for tempeh) and blend/pulse until a moldable “dough” is formed, scraping down sides as needed. You don’t want the chickpeas to turn into a paste, but you also don’t want any left whole.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added a bit more basil, salt, and panko bread crumbs.
• Scoop out rounded 1 Tbsp amounts of dough (I used this 1.5 Tbsp scoop from Amazon) and gently form/roll into balls - about 15 total. Then roll in additional vegan parmesan cheese-panko bread crumb mixture to coat (see photo).
• Heat the same skillet you used earlier over medium heat. Once hot, add enough olive oil to form a thin layer on the bottom of the skillet (~2 Tbsp | 30 ml), then add meatballs in two batches, as to not crowd the pan. Add more oil as needed.
• Brown for about 5 minutes total, shaking the pan to roll them around to brown all sides. Turn down heat slightly if browning too quickly.
• Add sautéed meatballs to a bare baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• At this time, prep any pasta you want to serve with your meatballs, as well as your favorite marinara sauce (I love this sauce, warmed up in a saucepan).
• Once meatballs are golden brown and fairly firm to the touch, remove from oven. Let cool briefly before serving. They will firm up the longer they cool.
• To serve, top cooked pasta with marinara sauce and desired number of meatballs. Top with another sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese and fresh basil (optional).
• Leftover meatballs will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in a 350 degree F oven until warmed through, or in the microwave.
• To freeze, sauté meatballs as instructed, then transfer to a baking sheet and freeze until completely firm. Then transfer to a freezer safe bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in a 350 degree F oven until completely warmed through.

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