Curried Walnut Meatless Meatballs

I received free samples of California walnuts mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Walnut Commission and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

These meatless meatballs are super easy to make with only 8 ingredients, packed with nutrition from the walnuts, mushrooms and beans, baked instead of fried to keep them healthier, and are a perfect, filling component to a meal. They are hearty, moist, slightly spicy from the curry, rich with flavor from the walnuts and mushrooms and will make your taste buds sing without making your waistband cringe.

They are great –

1. served over pasta with some tomato sauce,
2. with quinoa drizzled with tahini sauce (with any grain really and your favorite sauce)
3. stuffed in a pita pocket or as a meatless meatball sub sandwich
4. just on their own as a yummy snack

And, they are easily made gluten-free by using gluten-free breadcrumbs.

I love using walnuts in savory dishes like veggie burgers and meatless meatballs because they are hearty and add that perfect “meaty” texture. Plus, one ounce of walnuts has 4 grams of protein. To everyone who asks the vegan (or vegetarian), “But where do you get your protein?”, the answer is here. Walnuts! And in addition each ounce contains 2 grams of fiber, which is super important to keep you healthy and feeling full.

Walnuts are great in so many ways:

• as a salad topper
• in pesto (last summer I made a walnut basil pesto that was divine!)
• in cookies (maple walnut cookies — yum!!)
• made into nut milk
• on top of ice cream to make that sundae even more divine
• in granola
• in a pie crust alternative instead of pastry
• in a topping for crisps and crumbles
• candied
• spiced and roasted
• and just plain, straight out of the bag and into your mouth :-D.

The versatility of walnuts is awesome!

Eating healthy isn’t difficult, I promise. It’s not outlandishly expensive either. Or time-consuming. With simple ingredients, you can get all the nutrients you need and thrive without spending every moment of your life puttering around in the kitchen. Give it a try and see for yourself. And don’t forget the walnuts :-D.

Curried Walnut Meatless Meatballs

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Simple, nutritious, flavor packed meatless meatballs, made with only 8 ingredients and featuring California Walnuts.

Jenny Dunklee | The Lazy Vegan Baker: Jenny Dunklee

Recipe type: Dinner

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced (jarred garlic is ok here too)
• 1 cup California Walnuts, diced fine or pulsed quickly in a food processor *
• 2 teaspoons curry powder **
• 3 cups baby bella mushrooms, diced (approx 8 oz)
• 1 15 oz can white beans - do not drain! ( I used cannellini) ***
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (regular or gluten free)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or grease lightly with oil.
2. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add the walnuts and curry powder and saute for another 3 minutes.
4. Stir in the mushrooms and saute until they are cooked through, approx 6-8 minutes.
5. Pour the beans and their liquid into a medium bowl and smash them well. Different size chunks are ok and provide texture but you want them to be mostly mashed.
6. Add the walnut-mushroom mixture to the beans and stir it all together.
7. Add the breadcrumbs and mix until completely combined.
8. If you find your meatballs seem too dry to form into balls, add 1 tablespoon water at a time until you get a good consistency. If it is the opposite issue and they seem to wet, add 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs at a time until it adheres well into a ball.
9. Season with salt and pepper as needed/desired.
10. Form into balls. You can make them any size you want. I made 2" balls and the recipe yielded 16 this size.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bottoms are nicely browned and balls are cooked through.
12. Serve over pasta or quinoa or another grain. Or serve on their own with a nice sauce. Or snack on them straight off the pan until you remember you meant to serve them with something :-D.

Notes

* I pulsed the walnuts a few times in a food processor. You can also do this in a blender or chop them by hand. You want them to be approximately breadcrumb size or a bit bigger and with some variation to add texture. Be careful not to turn them into a powder! Or into walnut butter!

** If you are a huge curry fan, please feel free to add more powder. These are medium/mild for those who have more sensitive palates.

*** Do not drain the beans! The bean brine, lovingly referred to as aquafaba, is an amazing egg replacer and in this recipe acts as a binder. You can use any white bean (navy, butter, kidney...) for this recipe. I used cannellini.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4

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