Vegan Quinoa Veggie Balls

Easy and quick vegan “meatballs” with quinoa and red beans

It is commonly believed that the meatball first originated in Persia where leftover meat was used to make a dish known as Kofta. Meatballs exist around the world in many variations, shapes and sizes and let’s be honest – they are often the star of the show when it is dinnertime. As a vegan, eating veggie balls is convenient for many reasons – it makes us feel close to the cuisine many of us grew up on, they’re tasty, convenient to carry around as a snack and can be combined with pretty much any sauce and side dish. I personally love mine with baked potatoes.

Update: I recently used this quinoa balls recipe to make patties for vegan burgers and they were pretty great! I added a bit more spices and salt to get the taste stronger and simply shaped them into a bigger size.

I love this recipe because it is super quick, budget-friendly, minimalist, and the mixture is the kind that does not stick all over your bowls and fingers – easy clean up.

Quinoa and red beans veggie balls

Ingredients:

• 120 g uncooked quinoa (7/10th of a cup)
• 2 cans red kidney beans
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon oil of choice (optional)
• spices to taste

Yes, it really is that simple!

+ Spices I usually use are: salt, paprika, cumin, black pepper.
+ I believe the oil can be omitted if needed.
+ You can add onion or some kind of vegetable or additive that you see fit.
+ You can easily add some vegan sauce such as aioli or ajvar to the mixture for extra taste – totally optional.

How to make the veggie meatballs:

1. Start by cooking the quinoa as instructed and set it aside.
2. Mash beans with a fork or in a food processor and put them in a large bowl.
3. Add the cooked quinoa and all other ingredients to the beans and mix well together. Taste the mixture and add whatever spice may be missing, depending on your taste.
4. Form the mixture into whatever shapes you like and line on top of baking paper on a baking tray.
5. Bake on 200 C (392 F) for around 13-17 minutes. I use the grill option on my oven, but using just the fan will work as well.

• Remember, it is plant-based and it can’t really go wrong when it comes to baking (unless you burn it) – it is not like we are worried about having under-cooked meat here.
• This is a very versatile meatball and I encourage you trying it with different ingredients, spices and sauces.
• I love eating my meatballs with potato wedges on the side and some vegan aioli or ajvar.

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