Plant-Based "Meatballs" with Zucchini in a Homestyle Red Sauce

I'll tell you right now, this is a great recipe for kids, and I guarantee they won't even notice there's zucchini or even buckwheat flour inside.

I served this dish for dinner, and Eyal (a child for whom there aren't enough words to describe his charm) devoured the meatballs, which were served with simple white rice.

It was a joy to watch from the sidelines, and to this minute, the kid has no idea he ate meatballs with zucchini and buckwheat lol.

Before I start telling you about the recipe, I'll open with a disclosure that this recipe was created in collaboration with meatless farm.

Thank you very much; this allows this blog to continue to exist and promote veganism and healthy nutrition.

This product looks like ground meat and acts like ground meat (some say it even tastes like ground meat, but I have no idea since I haven't eaten ground meat in over 20 years).

It contains a good amount of protein from high-quality soy protein and pea protein.

In addition to the high protein content, it also contains a fair amount of dietary fiber (what ground meat provides you with fiber, huh?) and is completely gluten-free.

A bit about the recipe

As mentioned, the recipe was developed in collaboration with Meatless Farm and uses their plant-based mince. I'll be honest—I don't know what you could substitute it with, as I haven't tried substituting other plant-based minces.

To give the meatballs volume and juiciness, I used grated zucchini; you can substitute it with carrots, beets, or even potatoes, but keep in mind that this will change the nutritional values.

To bind the mixture, I used buckwheat flour, which is, in my opinion, the ultimate binder. You can, of course, use the same amount of chickpea flour/spelt/lentil or any other flour you have.

The spice blend I chose is, in my eyes, flattering and blends deliciously well with the plant-based mince.

Naturally, this is a recommendation, and if you want to season them differently, go for it.

I baked the meatballs in the oven, and in my opinion, there's really no need to fry them beforehand.

After baking, I continued cooking them in a rich and thick tomato sauce. This is not a must, and you can devour them as they are or swap for another sauce.

But between us, tomato sauce is the most fun, right?

Nutritional Values for Plant-Based "Meatballs" with Zucchini

One meatball out of 25 meatballs, oven-baked without sauce, contains:

• 54 calories
• 3.8 g protein
• 5.4 g carbohydrates
• 2 g fat

The addition of a tablespoon of sauce weighing 20 g contains:

• 11 calories
• Less than 1 g protein
• 1.8 g carbohydrates
• 0.5 g fat

Print

Plant-Based "Meatballs" with Zucchini in a Homestyle Red Sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 25 meatballs

Calories 54 kcal

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 400 g Plant-based mince I used meatless farm
• 1 medium zucchini
• 2 tbsp soy sauce 20 ml
• 1 tsp maple syrup 10 ml
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• pinch ground black pepper
• 1 handful chopped basil leaves
• 1 cup buckwheat flour 150 g
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the sauce

• 6 tomatoes or 400 g crushed tomatoes
• 7 cloves minced garlic don't be afraid of the amount
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 level tsp salt
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 level tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin

Instructions

Starting with the meatballs

1. Remove the plant-based mince from the freezer and thaw on the counter.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C.

3. In a deep bowl, mix the plant-based "meat", soy sauce, maple syrup, paprika, curry blend, black pepper, basil leaves, and buckwheat flour. Mix well until a uniform mixture is formed.

4. With wet hands, form 25 meatballs and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the meatballs.

6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the meatballs turn golden.

Preparing the sauce

1. In a food processor, blend the tomatoes until they reach a consistency suitable for a fresh tomato sauce.

2. In a large, wide pan (big enough to hold the sauce and meatballs), heat the oil.

3. Add the paprika, cumin, turmeric, and salt to the hot oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the minced garlic and fry for another few seconds (be careful not to burn the garlic).

5. Add the crushed tomatoes, maple syrup, and half a cup of water, and bring to a boil.

6. Add the tomato paste and mix well.

7. Add the meatballs and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.

8. Remove from heat and serve with macaroni or rice.