Italian-Style Tempeh Meatballs

These Italian-style meatballs are easily made vegan, with sauteed vegetables, miso, and rolled oats. We love them on a hoagie roll with red sauce, or in a pasta dish. They keep well in the freezer, so you might want to make a double batch to make things easier for yourself later.

Serves about 4. Prep time: 15-20 mins, cook time: 30-35 mins.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz tempeh, cut in 1/2” cubes

  • 1 medium onion, small dice

  • 4 garlic cloves, finely minced

  • 3 tbsp tomato paste

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce

  • 1 heaping tbsp miso

  • 2 cups mushrooms, small dice

  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

  • 1 tsp fresh thyme

  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

  • 3 tbsp grated parmesan or nutritional yeast

  • 1/2 cups rolled oats

  • 1 cups fresh bread crumbs or GF bread crumbs (If you have leftover focaccia this makes the best breadcrumbs for meatballs)

  • Salt to taste

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Heat a deep skillet pan and cook your onions over medium heat until translucent and tender. Add your garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, and miso, and stir until combined. Slowly cook for 2 minutes to incorporate the ingredients. Reserve in a bowl. Next sautee the mushrooms, either dry or in a little oil, until they are browned and have released all of their moisture. Set aside.
Next, clean out your skillet pan. Reheat and add enough olive oil to cover the pan. Add your cubed tempeh and brown on all sides, which should take about 3-5 minutes — you may need to do it in two batches. Add your tempeh to a mixing bowl, then throw in your seasonings (rosemary, thyme, black pepper, nutritional yeast, salt to taste). Toss in the bowl and set aside.

Next add your rolled oats to a food processor and pulse until it resembles meal but not flour. After only a few pulses, set aside. Now you can transfer the tempeh to the food processor and pulse until the tempeh is crumbled but not a paste. This may take about 5-8 pulses. Add your tempeh crumbles back to the mixing bowl, with the oats, mushrooms, and incorporate your onion paste. Finally, add the breadcrumbs. If the dough feels a little dry, add 2-3 tbsp of water or veggie stock. Begin shaping into small golf ball size balls (you may use an ice cream scoop if you have it).

The next step is to bake the meatballs. We recommend browning your tempeh balls first in a sautée pan or cast iron pan with oil until browned on all sides. This will add more flavor and color to your meatballs before you finish them in the oven. If you wish to be more simple about it, jump straight to baking: line a baking pan with parchment paper and wipe olive oil to cover or use spray oil. Bake for 25-35 minutes until they are well brown and they hold their shape. If you browned them in a pan before baking, aim for 20-25 minutes in the oven.

Pair with your favorite sauce. Add some chopped parsley, parmesan, or vegan cheese. These balls also freeze well. You can just shape your batch and freeze whatever you won’t eat before baking.

Enjoy!

RecipesTaylor WestbrookItalian