Why should you have to miss out on "meatballs" if you don't eat meat? This version of vegetarian meatballs is satisfying & easy to make. 259 calories and 5 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Cannellini Bean Vegetarian Meatballs Recipe
Vegetarian meatballs will satisfy any non-meat eater! Before I met my husband, I wasn’t much of a bean eater. It wasn’t that they didn’t appeal to me, but rather that I didn’t grow up eating a lot of Mexican food or other cuisines that might include the protein- and fiber-packed morsels. Everything changed when my husband ordered some black bean soup at a restaurant just a few blocks away from our New York City apartment. This wasn’t just any black bean soup – nope, this one was garnished with crispy chorizo sausage. I was a goner. You couldn’t stop me – cannellini beans in salads, kidney beans in chili, black beans in veggie burgers. You name it, I cooked it. As a result, my kids loved beans right from the get-go and we incorporate the healthy legumes into many of our meals.
When I heard that this round of Kitchen Play's SideCar series was to feature beans in a meal that would satisfy the whole family, I knew I had this one in the bag. The hardest part was choosing which type of beans I would use. I started thinking of comfort foods, dishes that my family likes to eat as the thermostat drops and the days grow shorter. Spaghetti and meatballs popped to mind immediately and, as we are trying to work more meatless meals into our weekly menu, it seemed fitting to make a vegetarian version.
When I think of oregano, garlic and parsley, I turn right to cannellini beans. In this recipe, I pureed the cannellini beans with roasted red peppers and then combined them with all of the regular meatballs ingredients, such as breadcrumbs and an egg. Baked in the oven and then simmered in tomato sauce, these bean “meatballs” are as healthy as they are tasty.
I throw everything into a large nonstick skillet and let it simmer until done.
Now, don’t expect the “meatballs” to have the same texture as versions made with ground beef or turkey. These ones have a soft texture, with a golden brown coating. They are substantial and hearty, and made me fall in love with the versatility of beans all over again.
The vegetarian meatballs recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine beans and roasted red peppers. Pulse until chopped, but not smoothly pureed.
NOTE: Take care not to overprocess the "meatballs". This could cause them to fall apart later.
Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and stir in grated onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper until well combined.
The amount of breadcrumbs required can change depending on the climate (dry vs. humid). If you find that the "meatballs" are not holding together firmly as you are shaping the first few, add more breadcrumbs, then reshape.
Using a rounded 2 tablespoon portion of the bean mixture, form “meatballs” by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the “meatballs” on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and have developed a light golden brown coating, 15 to 20 minutes.
In a large saucepan, heat your favorite marinara sauce over medium heat until simmering. Add “meatballs” and stir to coat.
Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve over spaghetti.
Other family-friendly cannellini bean recipes:
Vegetarian Mushroom & Cannellini Bean Ragout
Mediterranean Chicken, Bean & Pasta Soup
Pasta e Fagioli
Printable Recipe
Cannellini Bean Vegetarian “Meatballs” with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cans 15 ounces each Bush's Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 roasted red bell pepper 2 halves, roughly chopped
- ½ medium yellow onion grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 egg
- ½ cup dried breadcrumbs see note
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce your favorite kind
- Parmesan cheese for grating
- cooked spaghetti
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine beans and roasted red peppers. Pulse until chopped, but not smoothly pureed.
- Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and stir in grated onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper until well combined.
- Using a rounded 2 tablespoon portion of the bean mixture, form “meatballs” by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the “meatballs” on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
- Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and have developed a light golden brown coating, 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, heat you favorite marinara sauce over medium heat until simmering. Add “meatballs” and stir to coat. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Serve over spaghetti and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Bush's Beans. All opinions are my own. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Allison
Could you make extras and freeze them? Has anyone tried?
Meow Meow
Sounds great. How many meatballs does this recipe make? I'd like to know so I can count calories... Thanks.
Querino de-Freitas
I have tried so may different kinds of veggie balls,,but they don't always work for me ...as sometimes they just break and its a mess...I will try yours and I will let you know how I make out..... I wonder if I can use a small ice cream scoop to gather the mixture ..then place in the freezer for 5/6 minutes to firm up......what do think.........thanks......Querino x
Lauren
Can these meatballs be frozen and reheated at other times? I want to make meatless meatballs ahead of time for quick spaghetti nights. Thank you!
Lauren
steph
I cooked them tonight, and after baking them for 15min in the oven i added them to the tomato sauce, and after a while mixed them gently, but they all fell apart... 🙁
Jenna
Is there a good way to make these without egg if vegan?
Dara
Hi Jenna, I haven't tried this myself, but have read many times and heard from several vegan friends that "flax eggs" are a great substitute. Mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons water to equal 1 egg. I hope that works out for you!
carra d
Thanks for the recipe, these were delicious. I put them over zucchini 'pasta'
Dara
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Carra! What a great idea to put them over zucchini pasta.
Marina
The red peppers that you call for, are these the kind like in a jar or do you just roast some red peppers? I have a red bell pepper on hand, would that work? Thank you!
Dara
Hi Marina, I apologize for taking so long to respond. I typically roast my own red peppers because it's pretty easy to do and I prefer the flavor. That being said, you can certainly use the jarred ones found in most supermarkets.
Maggie
So delicious, but the not-meat-balls fell apart a little bit on us and sort of disintegrated into the sauce. I'm not sure exactly what we did (perhaps we should've let them cool a little bit more before we added to marinara sauce?), but will continue to make and experiment with these.
Great meatless alternative! Yummy flavor, and easy to make.
Nina
This dish looks amazing! Could you please post a recipe of the marina sauce that you made?
Anna
Have you tried with other types of beans?
Jeffrey
What do you think I can use instead of breadcrumbs? Do you think I could use quinoa or a nut/seed flour?
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Hi Jeffrey, are you looking for a gluten-free option? If so, I recommend using crushed gluten-free crackers. I hope that helps!
Nancy
These look easy and delicious, my son & daughter in-law are vegetarians, so I am going to try these out on them and hey, they won't hurt me or his dad to eat them too, we are meat eaters, but I bet they are that good that we won't know the difference. How many meatballs does this recipe make ? Thanks for sharing.
edel
just want to point out this is not a vegaterian receipt as parmasen cheese is never vegaterian, other than changing that the rest looks fine
J. Rogers
Vegetarian means you don't eat meat or any kind of animal.
VEGAN means you don't eat Dairy, eggs, or ANY animal/byproduct.
This dish IS vegetarian.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
You are absolutely correct about the definitions of vegetarian and vegan! However, I had forgotten that most Parmesan cheese contain rennet, which is an animal product. There are substitutes that can be available. For anyone that's interested, here is a great list of rennet-free cheeses: http://www.food.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?p=5953847&sid=541fa654c04aebe704ec825f43f87af7
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Yes, you're absolutely right! I had forgotten that Parmesan cheeses typically contain rennet, which is an animal product. Please see my response to the next comment.
Ros
Hi Dara, I am always grabbing recipes off your site from here in Suffolk, UK. Tell me, how do you think this would come out with borlotti beans? I have a surplus... Thanks!
Beth
So I went to make this recipe last night when I realized what I thought was a can of white beans was actually a can of chick peas. Since I was really gung ho on this recipe and had nothing else in the house for dinner I went ahead and made them with the chick peas anyway. They were excellent! I'll try them with the white beans next time but thought I'd post this to let people know that chick peas work just as well. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
That's great to hear, Beth! Thanks so much for leaving your comment. It's always great to know when variations work out so well.
Heather K
These are delicious! I make them all the time! My 3 year old always thinks they are cookies when they come out of the oven though, lol. He is not turned off by the savory cookies though - he loves his bean cookies. I even brought these to my husband's family's party, where they eat meat at every meal, and they all loved them too!
Sandy
Does anyone know of a good substitute for bread crumbs? Am gluten intolerant, but really want to make these! Thanks. 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Sandy, you could try crushed gluten-free crackers. That should do the trick!
Michelle
These look delish!
Have anyone tried freezing the leftovers?
Catherine
These look delicious! Can't wait to try them.