Cauliflower Quinoa Meatballs
Vegetarian meatballs for the win! These Cauliflower Quinoa Meatballs are protein-packed, vegan and gluten free and perfect for meal prepping for the week ahead.
Servings: 24 meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 cups quinoa cooked
- 2 cups cauliflower rice cooked, moisture squeezed out
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs regular or gluten free
- 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour see notes
- 1/3 cup almond milk or milk of choice
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flaxseed meal + 5 tbsp water)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp oregano
Instructions
- If you haven't already, cook the quinoa and cauliflower rice according to the package instructions, squeezing any excess moisture out of the cauliflower rice using a cheese cloth or nut milk bag (or a few paper towels); place them into a large mixing bowl.
- Make the flax eggs: stir 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal and 5 tablespoons water together in a small bowl, then let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes until the flaxseed absorbs the water.
- Next, add the garlic, breadcrumbs, flour, milk, flax eggs, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt, and oregano to that same bowl.
- Use a fork to stir and mash everything together.
- Wet your hands, then use your hands to form the mixture into 20-24 meatballs; place them on a plate or platter. The mixture will be a little wet, so you'll have to press it together in your hands to form it into meatballs.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, then add the meatballs and pan-sear them for 5-8 minutes until they're golden brown on the outside. Be careful when turning them because they're a little fragile! You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your skillet.
- Optional: pour marinara sauce (or sauce of choice) into the skillet and heat it for 1-2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and enjoy!
Video
Notes
*Calories are per meatballs and are an estimation
*Flour options: Buckwheat flour, chickpea flour, gluten free all purpose flour, or regular all purpose flour
*Turn the meatballs slowly and gently, as they may start to fall apart if you turn them too quickly. They shouldn't though, as long as you're careful.
Nutrition
Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
