It's Tuesday today, and I have now eaten these meatless meatballs for dinner for two nights in a row now. This is a recipe that I first started making years ago, back when I was cooking for large groups of people as a caterer. I was always on the search for quick, easy, low-cost plant-based meal ideas, that used whole foods and minimal ingredients. This recipe ticks off all of the above, and they taste incredible too!
The balls are best pan-fried, so you get a nice crispy crust reminiscent of browned ground beef. You can also bake them, as I often did when cooking for large crowds (just bake at 400F until crispy). Serve with your favorite pasta sauce or pesto, over noodles or spirals of zucchini! You can also play around with using them as the base for a burger patty too!
Black Bean Neat Balls
1 cup rolled oats
1 3/4 cups cooked/canned black beans, drained
2 tbsp olive oil – plus some for cooking
1 heaping tbsp. tomato paste
2 tablespoon vegan or regular parmesan
1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs (herbs de provence for example)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
Add your ingredients into the processor and blend till everything is well combined.
Using your hands, roll into “meatballs” using abut a tablespoon for each ball.
Into a large skillet, heat some olive oil. Add your balls and cook for 1 minute on each side.
Add your desired amount of tomato sauce and cook for around 5-6 minutes, on medium, until balls are thoroughly cooked.
NOTES
Balls will last in the fridge, in a tightly sealed container for up to one week.