Vegan Meatballs
- 1 cup walnuts, toasted
- 8 ounces button mushroom, thinly chopped
- 1 ¼ cup O Organics Stone Ground Crackers
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 3 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. dried minced onion
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. Signature SELECT Ground Pepper
- 2 tbsp. chia eggs, see notes below
Cranberry Sauce
- 8 ounces Signature SELECT Jellied Cranberry Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 ½ tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. hot sauce, I recommend Tabasco or Crystal
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Begin by making the chia eggs. In a small bowl, whisk together the chia seeds and 6 tablespoons of water until the chia seeds are fully hydrated. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.
Place the crackers in a food processor and blend together until they are a fine crumb. Remove from food processor and set aside. Add the remaining "meatball" ingredients to the food processor and process again until the ingredients are combined and evenly chopped, leaving some texture. Be careful not to overmix or your meatballs will be gummy. Transfer the mushroom walnut mixture to a large bowl and fold in the cracker crumbs. Roll the meatball mixture into balls 2 heaping tablespoons in size and place on the prepared parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until meatballs are browned and crispy on the outside.
While the meatballs bake, prepare the sauce. Stir together the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan placed over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes until the sauce is smooth and heated all the way through. Remove from heat. Once the meatballs are done, gently toss them with the sauce. Serve immediately with fresh parsley.
Serving and Storing – Serve these meatless balls warm. They work great as an appetizer or part of your holiday meal. To store, first allow the meatballs to cool to room temperature. Transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Only sauce what you are going to eat and store the remaining meatballs and sauce separately.
Reheating – If frozen, allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the oven at 300 degrees.
Recipe Tips
- Do not over-mix your mushroom/walnut mixture! If you overmix, you will end up with a gummy paste. Make sure to keep some texture.
- Adjust the spices and herbs to your liking. The flavors in this recipe are very flexible.
- Use a scoop to help make the meatballs a consistent size. You can adjust the size but if you do that, make sure to also adjust the cook time accordingly.
Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg