[vegan] Italian Style "Meatballz"

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Growing up my Godmother would make the most delicious meatballs on the entire planet. She would mince all kinds of veggies, mix that with meat and breadcrumbs and then panfry them until they were nice and crispy. This was one of my favorite dishes she made, and my Godfather and I would sit and watch T.V. while chowing down.

I decided I wanted to re-create this recipe. So, there are two options when cooking the "meatballz", you can bake them, this makes them a little more dry in the center, and is good for putting them on spaghetti or in a "meatball" sub. Frying them makes them nice and crispy on the outside, but moist on the inside and is great for serving them as an appetizer or as an entree with garlic bread and red sauce.

Breadcrumbs

In order to make sure these hold together well, I used Italian style bread crumbs (if you don't make your own, ensure to read the ingredients on the back, because a lot of breadcrumbs contain cheese). The brand I like is Progresso Italian Style Panko Bread Crumbs, these make for extra crispy exterior but help the "meatballz" bind together.

Flax Egg

To replace the egg, I put a flax egg in instead. A typical flax egg is 3 tablespoons of water to 1 tablespoon of ground flax, and you stir then let that set in the fridge until it gels over.

"Meat"

In this recipe I chose to use Impossible Meat. You can substitute this for any other meat substitute you prefer, but it does have to be "raw", unfortunately using be'f crumbles that are already prepared will not work for this recipe. In order to be more cost effective I purchased the two pack of Impossible Patties (I find them in the freezer section at my grocery store). These are about $5.50 where I live and I get about 8 oz. This is the perfect amount, compared to the 12 oz "block" of ground the sell which retails for almost $11.

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Italian Style "Meatballz"

Ingredients:

• 8oz Impossible Ground

• 1/2 of a small White Onion, chopped

• 1/2 cup Italian Panko

• 1 flax egg (3 tbl. water, 1 tbl. ground flax)

• 1 tbl. nutritional yeast

• 1 tbl. low sodium soy sauce

• 1 tsp. fresh garlic (heaping), minced

• 1-2 tsp. red chili flakes (optional)

• 1 1/2 tsp. ground fennel

• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• pinch of salt and pepper

• Oil (drizzle for baking, or enough for frying)

Procedures:

For Baked Meatballs:

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Make the flax egg by combining the water and ground flax, and let set in the fridge for about 5 minutes.

3. Chop the white onion and fresh garlic.

4. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and shape the meat into desired meatball size.

5. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over top.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.

7. Serve and enjoy!

For Fried Meatballs:

1. Heat oil on medium-medium high heat (enough oil to cover half of the meatballs)

2. Make the flax egg by combining the water and ground flax, and let set in the fridge for about 5 minutes.

3. Chop the white onion and fresh garlic.

4. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and shape the meat into desired meatball size.

5. Gently roll each meatball lightly into a bit more panko (doesn't have to be fully covered)

6. Fry roughly 5 minutes on each side until golden and crispy.

7. Drain on a paper towel or clean dish rag.

8. Serve and enjoy!