Vegan Beet and Black Bean "Meatballs" Recipe
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
25 minutes
Servings:
24 meatballs
Ingredients
  • 5 ounces cooked beetroot, grated
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and well rinsed
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 2 tablespoons chickpea flour
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, plus extra for serving
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 (32-ounce) jar marinara sauce
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 6 cups cooked spaghetti, for serving
Directions
  1. Squeeze out the beetroot over a sieve or colander to remove excess liquid.
  2. In a food processor, combine the beetroot, black beans, breadcrumbs, walnuts, onion, chickpea flour, tomato paste, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
  3. Pulse the mixture until it comes together. Do not over-process, as the texture should be slightly chunky.
  4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the chopped parsley and season to taste with salt.
  5. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of mixture and form the first "meatball" by rolling the mixture between the palms of your hands.
  6. Repeat to make a total of 24 balls.
  7. Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
  8. Working with 8 meatballs at a time, cook the meatballs for 3–4 minutes, until browned all over.
  9. Transfer them to a paper towel–lined plate.
  10. Adding more oil if necessary, cook the rest of the meatballs as per steps 8 and 9.
  11. Heat the marinara sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  12. When the sauce starts simmering, carefully transfer the meatballs to the pan and cook, covered, for 5–7 minutes.
  13. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top of the meatballs and serve with spaghetti.