Baked Vegetarian Meatballs
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These Baked Vegetarian Meatballs make for the perfect meatless, flavorful and delicious meal. They are loaded with nutrients as they are made with fresh veggies, walnuts, and seeds. They’re amazing and even meat lovers won’t be able to believe they’re made with no meat!
Baked Vegetarian Meatballs
If you’re looking for the perfect vegetarian dish to make then look for further than these Baked Vegetarian Meatballs. They are super easy to make and take very little effort for them to come together. These meatballs are so flavorful and delicious that even the biggest meat lover won’t be able to get enough.
Whether you’re vegetarian, looking for a Meatless Monday meal, or just want to try something new, these meatballs are for you. They are loaded with veggies, walnuts and seeds. Making them super healthy and rich in protein and other essential nutrients. They also call for a blend of spices that add all the flavors.
These meatball can also be easily turned into a vegan friendly meal. Just replace the egg with a vegan egg and you will be all set. Make them for dinner, lunch, or meal prep. Serve them over some pasta or zoodles with some tomato sauce and you have a complete meal.
Ingredients needed to make Baked Vegetarian Meatballs:
- Vegetables– Zucchini and carrot.
- Raw Walnuts– Serves as plant-based protein and add texture to the meatballs.
- Seeds– Flax Meal and hemp hearts. Also serve as plant-based protein.
- Egg– Binding agent.
- Spices and Herbs– Dried oregano, dried parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, pink sea salt, and black pepper.
Equipment needed to make Baked Vegetarian Meatballs:
- Food Processor– Used to blend all of the ingredients together.
- Large Baking Sheet Pan– For baking the vegetarian meatballs in the oven.
- Parchment Paper– For lining baking sheet pan.
- Spatula or Spoon– For scooping out the mixture from the food processor.
How to cook Baked Vegetarian Meatballs:
- Step 1– Preheat oven at 400 degrees F. Line large baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Step 2– Place all ingredients in a food processor bowl. Close lid, start food processor and pulse on high until all ingredients are well blended and combined. Use a spoon or spatula to stir through the mixture. If you see any big chunks of any of the ingredients, close up food processor and pulse again until ingredients are chopped into tiny pieces.
- Step 3– Use an ice cream scooper or a spoon to scoop out mixture and shape into meatballs. With your hands, firmly press the mixture shaping it onto balls that are about 1.5-2 inches wide. You should end up with about 12 meatballs. As you shape the meatballs, place them on prepped baking sheet pan lining them up next to each other and leaving enough room between them.
- Step 4– Once all the meatballs are lined up and there is no more mixture left, place meatballs in the oven. Bake for 18 minutes.
- Step 5– Remove meatballs from the oven. Carefully serve over pasta or zoodles with tomato sauce or any other preferred way. Place any leftover meatballs in any tupperware dish and keep refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. Enjoy!
Tips and Substitutions:
- Switch up your veggies- Get creative with your veggies and switch them up. Broccoli, eggplant, mushrooms, sweet potato, etc. are all great to use in this recipe.
- Switch up your nuts- Get creative with the nuts you use too. Pecans and pine nuts are great to use in this recipe as well.
- No flax meal?- Bleached almond flour is a great substitute.
- Use a spoon or spatula to stir through the mixture- If you see any big chunks of any of the ingredients, close up food processor and pulse again until ingredients are chopped into tiny pieces. Mixture should look almost like a paste.
- Be sure to line sheet pan with parchment paper- This will prevent meatballs from sticking to it.
- Shape mixture into which ever size meatballs you’d like- The recipe calls for meatballs to be 3-4 inches and you end up with 12 meatballs this size. However, you can make them bigger or smaller if you’d like and end up with more or less meatballs. Baking time will remain the same.
- Make them vegan friendly- Replace the egg for a vegan egg like a flax egg to make these vegan friendly.
How to serve Baked Vegetarian Meatballs:
- Over pasta- with some pasta sauce or tomato sauce.
- Over some zoodles– or any other vegetable noodles for a low-carb option.
- In a sub– For a vegetarian meatball sandwich.
- In a salad– These are great to add some protein and texture to a salad.
Baked Vegetarian Meatballs FAQ’s:
What are meatless meatballs made of?
There are many recipes out there that call for different ingredients and ways to make vegetarian meatballs. What makes these great is that they are made with veggies, walnuts, and seeds. This makes these specific vegetarian meatballs rich in both flavors and nutrients. It also gives them a great texture which makes it hard to believe they’re meatless. Aside from this, these meatless meatballs are gluten-free as well so everyone can enjoy them. Replace the egg in them for a vegan egg and they’ll be vegan friendly too.
How do you keep vegetable meatballs from falling apart?
These baked vegetarian meatballs are made with egg. Which serve as the biding agent preventing them from filing apart. They also contain flax, which can also save as a biding agent.
Are vegetarian meatballs healthy?
These homemade baked vegetarian meatballs are perfectly healthy. They are made with clean ingredients liked fresh veggies, raw walnuts, seeds and spices and herbs. Making these meatballs nutrient-dense, rich in protein, and healthy.
Meal Prepping it:
Make these delicious Baked Vegetarian Meatballs part of your weekly meal plan. They take less than 5 minutes to prep and are ready in less than 20. Perfect for meal prepping and keeping in the fridge for an easy dinner and lunch. Combine them with some Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce and serve over some pasta or zoodles. Makes for a tasty and wholesome meal.
Storing and Reheating:
If you have any leftover Baked Vegetarian Meatballs place them in an air-tight container. Keep your meatballs refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. Reheat by placing back in the oven or in the microwave.
Freezing Baked Vegetarian Meatballs:
Once your Baked Vegetarian Meatballs have completely cooled-off; place them a a large baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for 2 hours. Once meatballs are completely frozen, transfer them to a gallon-freezer bag. These can be kept frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw-out by placing in the fridge overnight.
Like this Baked Vegetarian Meatballs recipe? You may also like these other meatball recipes:
- Chicken and Veggie Meatballs
- Baked Turkey Meatballs
- Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Kale Chicken Meatballs
Baked Vegetarian Meatballs
These Baked Vegetarian Meatballs make for the perfect meatless, flavorful and delicious meal. They are loaded with nutrients as they are made with fresh veggies, walnuts, and seeds. They're amazing and even meat lovers won't be able to believe they're made with no meat!
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts
- 1/4 cup flax meal
- 1/2 yellow onion (diced)
- 3 cloves of garlic (slightly chopped)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp pink sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven at 400 degrees F. Line large baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place all ingredients in a food processor bowl. Close lid, start food processor and pulse on high until all ingredients are well blended and combined. Use a spoon or spatula to stir through the mixture. If you see any big chunks of any of the ingredients, close up food processor and pulse again until ingredients are chopped into tiny pieces.
Use an ice cream scooper or a spoon to scoop out mixture and shape into meatballs. With your hands, firmly press the mixture shaping it onto balls that are about 1.5-2 inches wide. You should end up with about 12 meatballs. As you shape the meatballs, place them on prepped baking sheet pan lining them up next to each other and leaving enough room between them.
Once all the meatballs are lined up and there is no more mixture left, place meatballs in the oven. Bake for 18 minutes.
Remove meatballs from the oven. Carefully serve over pasta or zoodles with tomato sauce or any other preferred way. Place any leftover meatballs in any tupperware dish and keep refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Tips and Substitutions:
- Switch up your veggies- Get creative with your veggies and switch them up. Broccoli, eggplant, mushrooms, sweet potato, etc. are all great to use in this recipe.
- Switch up your nuts- Get creative with the nuts you use too. Pecans and pine nuts are great to use in this recipe as well.
- No flax meal?- Bleached almond flour is a great substitute.
- Use a spoon or spatula to stir through the mixture- If you see any big chunks of any of the ingredients, close up food processor and pulse again until ingredients are chopped into tiny pieces. Mixture should look almost like a paste.
- Be sure to line sheet pan with parchment paper- This will prevent meatballs from sticking to it.
- Shape mixture into which ever size meatballs you’d like- The recipe calls for meatballs to be 3-4 inches and you end up with 12 meatballs this size. However, you can make them bigger or smaller if you’d like and end up with more or less meatballs. Baking time will remain the same.
- Make them vegan friendly- Replace the egg for a vegan egg like a flax egg to make these vegan friendly.
*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.
**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used.
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.
