RECIPE BY: M. Grace Bakeshop
Meatballs are a classic comfort food that belong in the nostalgic hall of fame. The traditional recipe, with all the meat and sodium, leaves you feeling heavy and sluggish. Our meatball recipe reimagines this meal to be light, protein-packed, and just as satisfying as the original.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Quinoa Meatballs
- 1 cup cooked GoGo Quinoa tricolor quinoa
- 3/4 cup cup canned whited beans, drained
- 1/2 cup GoGo Quinoa buckwheat flakes
- 1/4 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
- 1 cup white mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon vegan parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons za’atar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon GoGo Quinoa Andean pink salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon tamari
Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves, garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon GoGo Quinoa Andean pink salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 cup red wine, optional
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a blender or food processor, coarsely blend the white beans, sorghum flakes, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, and spinach together. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl and add the quinoa, nutritional yeast, vegan parmesan, chives, tamari and spices. Stir all the ingredients together until thoroughly blended and it forms a dough. Be careful not to overmix it. Roll the mixture into meatballs roughly the size of a heaping tablespoon and place them evenly spaced on the sheet pan.
Bake for 15 minutes then turn them over and bake for 10 more minutes. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, basil and red wine if using. Stir all the ingredients together, then reduce the sauce to a low simmer and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
To serve, ladle the tomato sauce into 4 bowls and place the quinoa meatballs on top. Sprinkle more vegan parmesan cheese and chives are the top for garnish.