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Vegetarian Meatballs are so delicious and so easy to make. These yummy balls of goodness are hearty, super satisfying, and healthier than regular meatballs! Made with chickpeas, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and a host of other goodies, they’re smothered in a rich marinara sauce. Utter comfort food!
Hearty and delicious Vegetarian Meatballs are destined to become the new family favorite! Loaded with Italian flavors and covered in bubbling marinara sauce, whether you’re vegetarian or an omnivore, these healthy meatballs really hit the spot! Serve them with noodles or zucchini noodles, rice or cauliflower rice, or some roasted veggies. They are just perfect and so satisfying.
If you’re looking for other vegetarian dinner ideas, why not also try my Vegetarian Eggplant Lasagna and my Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers!
why you’ll love these vegetarian meatballs
- Packed with Italian flavor! These flavorsome meatballs have sun-dried tomatoes, Italian herbs, basil, and parmesan cheese. Pure deliciousness.
- Super filling. Made with chickpeas, these meatballs are not only delicious but also super satisfying.
- Healthier meatballs. These meat-free meatballs are packed with goodness and lower in calories than regular meatballs.
ingredients you’ll need
- Avocado Oil
- Veggies – Onion, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes.
- Garlic Cloves
- Chickpeas
- Seasoning – Salt, pepper, Italian blend herbs
- Vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce
- Panko
- Eggs
- Basil
- Parmesan Cheese (optional)
how to make these vegetarian meatballs
- Sauté your aromatics – In a skillet over medium heat, cook your onions and garlic.
- Make your meatball mixture – In a food processor, add in sautéed mushrooms, seasoning, panko, chickpeas, tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Process until the mixture is like ground meat. Then add in whisked eggs.
- Cook – After resting the mixture in the fridge for 15 mins, scoop out even amounts of meatball mix and add to a skillet, 2-3 mins per side, cooking in batches if needed.
- Add sauce – once the meatballs are done add in the sauce, stirring occasionally until it bubbles. Simmer for another 8 mins.
- Garnish serve and enjoy!
recipe notes and tips
- Using a cookie scoop to take spoonfuls of the mixture and add it to the hot pan. This gives you even portions.
- Use a big skillet, you may have to cook the meatballs in batches.
- Garnish with fresh, chopped basil.
- You want to pulse the mix until it comes out like ground beef.
- You could omit the egg for a vegan option, however the egg acts as a binder so the meatballs will crumble apart more easily (still delicious).
- Don’t over blend the mixture or it will be too soft to roll.
- I highly recommend panko breadcrumbs over regular. Panko gives you such a crispy texture.
- If you want to spice these meatballs up, add a pinch of red chili flakes to the mixtures.
Let the meatballs cool completely, then store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for 2 months.
Absolutely! You can adjust the seasoning if needed. But these are really good for little ones and a fun way for them to get their veggies!
These little balls of yumminess are super versatile! You can go for pasta, rice, quinoa, lentils – they’ll help grab all that sauce too. Or you can opt for roast potatoes for a Spanish tapas vibe.
A great way to serve these up is in a sandwich! So good!
If you’re wanting to keep things light, keep some meatballs out of the sauce and save them for salad toppers.
other delicious vegetarian recipes
- Sweet & Sour Vegetable Stir Fry
- Easy Vegetarian Bean Chili
- Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Homemade Tomato Rice Soup
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Easy Vegetarian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil, or any other oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. sliced button or crimini mushrooms
- 15 oz chickpeas ( drained and rinsed), one can
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Italian blend herbs
- 2 Tablespoons vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/3 cup panko
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 14.5 oz marinara sauce, one jar
- Freshly chopped basil, to garnish
- OPTIONAL: Ground parmesan, to serve with
Instructions
- Dice the onion and tomatoes. Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms. Whisk the eggs and set aside.
- Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.
- Immediately add in the sliced mushrooms, cook stirring occasionally until slightly golden brown about 5-7 minutes.
- Once done remove from the heat and let it cool at room temperature.
- Next, transfer the sautéed mushrooms to a food processor; add chickpeas, tomatoes,
- salt, pepper, Italian blend herbs, Worcestershire sauce, and panko bread crumbs. Pulse until all the ingredients come together resembling ground meat. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the whisked eggs; using your clean hands or a wooden spoon, mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Refrigerate the mixture for at least 15 minutes. Now, heat a large heavy skillet drizzled with a tablespoon of oil.
- Using a cookie scoop, take spoonfuls of the mixture and add it to the hot pan. Make sure you leave some space in between the meatballs to ensure evenly browning. You should have about 16-18 meatballs, so cook them in 2-3 batches.
- Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, without moving it at all until nicely golden brown,
- then set aside to cook the next batch. Once all the meatballs are done, add marinara sauce to the empty pan and cook stirring occasionally until the sauce starts to bubble.
- Return the meatballs into the hot sauce, and continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes over low heat, until sauce, is thick.
- Remove from the pan, garnish with freshly chopped basil and ground parmesan.
Notes
- Using a cookie scoop to take spoonfuls of the mixture and add it to the hot pan. This gives you even portions.
- Use a big skillet, you may have to cook the meatballs in batches.
- Garnish with fresh, chopped basil.
- You want to pulse the mix until it comes out like ground beef.
- You could omit the egg for a vegan option, however the egg acts as a binder so the meatballs will crumble apart more easily (still delicious).
- Don’t over blend the mixture or it will be too soft to roll.
- I highly recommend panko breadcrumbs over regular. Panko gives you such a crispy texture.
- If you want to spice these meatballs up, add a pinch of red chili flakes to the mixtures.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
