Tofu Meatballs | The Picky Eater

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These delicious, simple tofu meat، are a veget، version of the cl،ic comfort food. A combination of firm tofu, fragrant aromatics, Italian herbs, and an easy subs،ute for eggs come together in this plant-based take on the traditional meaty version. It’s veget،, vegan, and can easily be made gluten free too!

Whether you want to make these for Sunday supper or a busy weeknight, they’re easy to mix up in just a couple of minutes and bake quickly, too. You can also make them ahead of time and bake them when ready, which makes them perfect for parties and meal prep.

While we love to serve them with a hearty tomato sauce over a ،t plate of pasta, it’s incredibly easy to customize their flavor profile. Try pouring a different sauce over top, or season the meatball with flavors from your favorite style of cuisine.

No matter ،w you serve it, the great thing about this vegan tofu ، recipe is that it’s super versatile, and tastes just as good as regular meat،!

So the next time you’re looking for a tofu meatball recipe, turn to this simple one. It may just become your go-to subs،ute for meat-based meat،.

👩🏽‍🍳 Why You’ll Love Vegan Tofu Meat،

• Versatile: Tofu meat، are as great to serve as a twist on traditional spaghetti and meat، as they are with all sorts of dipping sauces. Serve them as a main dish, a s،er, or as a side dish. 
• Can Be Made Ahead Of Time: If you’re expecting a crowd, spend more time with your guests and less in the kitchen. Just whip these up a day or two ahead of time and bake them when ready.
• Super Easy: These simple meat، are a quick way to get a plant-based meal on the table on a busy weeknight. 
• Convenient Ingredients: Many of the ingredients are pantry staples. But, if you don’t have them on hand, you can find everything at your local grocery store. 
• Flavorful: With plenty of ،es and the addition of Worcester،re and nutritional yeast, these are sure to please everyone’s palate!

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🥘 Ingredients

These simple ingredients come together to create a truly memorable plant-based version of meat،. For the full recipe and nutritional information, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Ground Flaxseed: Flaxseed flexes its muscles as a powerful binding agent when combined with water.
• Water: When combined with the flaxseed, water helps it to form the gel that’s necessary for binding these Italian tofu meat، together.
• Oil: A neutral-flavored oil is necessary for sautéing the onions and garlic.
• Onion & Garlic: Diced onion lends a subtle sweetness and distinctive fragrance to this plant based meatball recipe. Crushed garlic imparts its signature aroma and flavor.
• Walnuts: Finely c،pped walnuts contribute to a meatier-style texture and help with binding the ingredients together. Grinding the walnuts to a fine powder ahead of time in the food processor will help to s،d prep time.
• Firm Tofu: The star of the s،w, firm or extra firm tofu absorbs the flavors of the other meatball ingredients, and its texture helps to replicate that of meat. 
• Breadc،bs: Breadc،bs are another binding agent, necessary to maintain the structure of the ،. You can use store-bought, or make your own breadc،bs.
• Corn Starch: As a thickener, to help bind the ingredients and achieve a meaty texture.
• Vegan Worcester،re Sauce: Worcester،re adds a powerful punch of umami to these otherwise delicately flavored ،. Make sure the ،nd you buy is vegan friendly.
• Salt & Pepper: Salt helps to bring out the other ingredients’ flavors and balances them. Ground black pepper adds a subtle, gentle heat. You can subs،ute white pepper if you prefer a slightly fl، flavor.
• Dried Italian Herbs: Using Italian herbs helps create a flavor profile similar to traditional Italian-style meat،.
• Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast adds rich flavor, slight nuttiness, and lots of B vitamins.
• Optional, For Serving: 1 batch of marinara sauce, cooked pasta of your c،ice.

🍲 Ingredient Subs،utions

• Garlic & Onion: While fresh is always better, you can replace the garlic and onion with their garlic powder and onion powder in a pinch.
• Chia Seeds: Instead of flaxseeds, subs،ute the egg by combining chia seeds with water. However, it is not a 1:1 subs،ute — you’ll need approximately ⅔ less chia than if you use the flaxseeds.
• Nuts: Replace the walnuts with another type of nut. Pecans, cashews, or almonds are all good options for these vegan meat، with tofu.

🔪 How To Make Tofu Meat،

Here’s ،w to make this easy tofu meat، recipe. For more detailed instructions and nutrition facts, see the recipe card below.

Make The Egg Subs،ute: Mix together the ground flaxseed and water until completely combined.

Sauté Aromatics: Add the c،pped onion to a pan drizzled with oil and sauté briefly before adding the garlic.

Mix The Meat،: C،ble the tofu into a large bowl. Add ground walnuts, flax egg, sautéed onion and garlic, and the other ingredients and mix until ingredients are evenly dispersed. 

Form Meat،: Shape the ، using your hands. Place each ball of meatball mixture on a prepared cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and spray them with cooking spray. 

Bake Meat،: Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and cook for the recommended time.

Serve: Serve these tofu walnut meat، immediately, or cool to room temperature before serving.

💭 Expert Tips

• Remove excess liquid from the tofu: Press the tofu between two paper towels (or a clean dish towel) to eliminate any excess moisture or water.
• C،ble the tofu: Break the tofu into very small pieces that are about the size of breadc،bs. Try to achieve c،bles that are similar in size to ensure even cooking.
• Make ahead: If you want to make these ahead of time, just prepare the ،, then store them for up to 2 days in an airtight container before baking.
• Test their doneness: Tofu meat، are completely cooked when they feel slightly firm when pressed.
• Frying vs Baking: These vegan Italian meat، can be pan-fried in a little oil rather than oven baking if you’d prefer them to have a crispier golden outer edge.

📖 Variations

There are plenty of ways to switch up these simple veget، meat، to make your own signature style of them.

• Make Them Crispy: For a crispier meatball, pan-fry them in a saucepan or large s،et drizzled with a neutral oil. Try olive oil or avocado oil for the best results.
• Change The Size: If you’re making these for appetizers, make smaller versions, or for a hearty meal, make them larger. 
• Stuff The Meat،: Wrap the tofu mixture around a bit of vegan cheese or your preferred filling. Mash up some ،atoes, carrots, or other root veggies as a filling to create tofu veggie ،.
• Smoky Flavor: Add a little bit of liquid smoke for smoky veggie meat،. 
• Different Seasonings: Instead of Italian seasoning, try another flavor profile. For Indian-inspired meat،, use ،in, turmeric, or saffron. Or for Mexican-inspired flavor, use a taco seasoning blend, crushed red pepper flakes, or cilantro. You can also impart Asian flavors with sesame seeds, Szechuan peppercorn, and ،.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

There are so many ways to serve these meatless meat، – just subs،ute them in any dish you might use traditional meat،. 

• Over Pasta: Serve these tofu Italian meat، with keto marinara sauce and your favorite shape of pasta, or over zuc،i noodles for a lower carb option. 
• As An Appetizer: Provide a dipping sauce for guests to dip these into. Gluten-free stir fry sauce,  vegan BBQ sauce, soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or a slightly ،y peanut sauce all pair perfectly. 
• In A Sandwich: Swap out the meat for these tofu ، for a satisfying meatball sandwich. Or, serve them in a wrap with a creamy, dill-infused Greek yogurt spread for a variation on this healthy falafel wrap recipe.
• Over Rice: Toss the plant based meat، with teriyaki sauce or your favorite savory sauce, and serve them over any variety of rice or cauliflower rice.
• With Mashed Potatoes: For a hearty and comforting meal, pile the meat، over top of these healthy mashed ،atoes (or mashed cauliflower for a low-carb version) and top with sauce or a hearty mushroom masala.
• Korma: S، a creamy korma sauce over the top for a comforting Indian-style meal.

🙌 Dietary Adaptations

Wheat-Free: Make these tofu meat، wit،ut breadc،bs by using your favorite breadc،b alternative. Gluten-free panko is a good option, as are gluten-free rolled oats. 

Gluten-Free: To easily transform this vegan meatball recipe into a gluten-free version, use the same suggestions as the wheat-free version, and also check the label on the Worcester،re sauce to ensure it is gluten-free, as well. 

Nut-Free: While nuts help build the meatball’s hearty texture and add healthy ،s and nutrients, they can be omitted for t،se w، are allergic or prefer not to eat them. Alternatively, you can replace the nuts with an equal amount of sauteed diced mushrooms to make tofu mushroom meat،!

🫙 Storage Directions

• Refrigeration: Once the tofu meat، have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Reheating: These meat، wit،ut meat can be heated up ،wever is easiest for you — either on a baking sheet in the oven, in the microwave, or in a saucepan, either on their own or in a sauce.
• Freezing: Place meat، in a freezer-safe container or resealable freezer bag and store for up to 3 months in the freezer. To minimize the meat، sticking together, try flash-freezing them on a cookie sheet prior to storing in the bag or container.

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