Italian Meat(less) Ball Recipe!
I found a recipe recently that I tweaked a bit for my own taste. It uses TVP - so I don't consider this extremely healthy, but heck, it's the best tasting recipe of meatless balls that I've found!
Italian Meat(less) Balls
1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein) granules
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup breadcrumbs - (I used store bought Italian seasoned - cheese free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 hot pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon fennel
2 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon basil
Fresh minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 tablesoon olive oil
For the spices - adjust to your taste. I used a LOTS of garlic, added raw. In a pinch garlic powder can be used.
Combine TVP and boiling water and let stand until the water is absorbed,
about 5 minutes.
Add breadcrumbs and spices. Mix well.
Form mixture into 6 - 12 balls. Rub olive oil on palms and roll each ball in
your hands to coat them. Place on lightly oiled cookie sheet. I use one of those oil misters to spray olive oil on the balls. No need to turn when baking.
Bake for 10 minutes, 400 degrees. Broil for a few extra minutes to make crispy.
Add your favorite red sauce, server over pasta.
When baking the meatballs, when 5 minutes left, add some sliced mushrooms and other veggies to the baking sheet!
Let me know what you think.
Re: Italian Meat(less) Ball Recipe!
^That sounds good. I've saved the recipe, but I don't know when I'll get around to trying it. Mostly I just use gimme lean beef for meat(less) balls. I do use a tvp recipe for burgers and sometimes I've used it for the meat(less) balls as well, but yours seems like it would be much more flavorful and traditional.
Re: Italian Meat(less) Ball Recipe!
We have a ton of tvp. Maybe we'll try these tonight!
Re: Italian Meat(less) Ball Recipe!
Re: Italian Meat(less) Ball Recipe!
Mmmmm....those meatball subs look so good!
Re: Italian Meat(less) Ball Recipe!
I read this old thread...guess what I'm going to have for dinner tonight! I have tons of TVP need to use, and will not be looking at the expiration date (I don't want to know). I've also added some chunks of left over firm tofu to the recipe, and it's pretty good!