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meatballs with red sauce on spaghetti on a plate with grey background
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4.82 stars (33 ratings)

Easy Vegan Meatballs

These Easy Vegan Meatballs are flavorful, hearty and made with pantry staples you probably have on hand right now.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 93kcal
Author: Nora Taylor

Ingredients

Vegan Meatballs

  • 3 tablespoons ground flax
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 cups drained and rinsed chickpeas *this is how much is in 2 cans of chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (see notes for gluten free option)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

For serving

  • 8 ounces spaghetti noodles (gluten free if needed)
  • (1) 25 oz jar your favorite marinara sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the ground flax and 8 tablespoons water. Let sit for 5 minutes while you prepare the chickpeas.
  • In a food processor with the "S" blade, add the chickpeas and pulse until there are almost no whole beans left. If you do not have a food processor, you can mash them by hand with a potato masher. Add the processed chickpeas to a large mixing bowl.
  • Now add the flax/water mixture, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and salt to the bowl. Stir with a large wooden spoon until well combined. The mixture will be very thick; sometimes I even use my hands to make sure everything is incorporated well. 
  • Roll into balls (about a heaping tablespoon each) and place on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet. 
  • Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, turning once halfway through. 
  • While the meatballs are baking, prepare spaghetti noodles according to package instructions. Warm the marinara sauce in a large pan, big enough to add the vegan meatballs to.
  • When the meatballs are done cooking, carefully place them in the marinara sauce. Gently stir to coat, but be careful not to break them as they aren't as firm as regular meatballs.
  • Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles with optional vegan parmesan, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Gluten Free: Substitute gluten free breadcrumbs or gluten free rolled oats for the regular breadcrumbs to make it gluten free. And serve over gluten free pasta.
  2. Air Fry: Air fry the meatballs instead at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
  3. If you don't have Italian seasoning on hand, you can use 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon basil.
  4. This works with black beans or kidney beans as well, for a slightly different flavor.
  5. Nutritional information is an estimate only, and is for the meatballs only (about 3-5 of them, depending on how big you roll them).

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 8 servings | Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg