Kenden Alfond
Vegan Sweet and Sour Pineapple Meatballs
These healthier plant-based meatballs are made from an oat-lentil mixture and served in a tangy sweet and sour sauce.
June 17, 2024
Based on a classic Jewish dish, this plant-based take from the Beyond Chopped Liver: 59 Jewish Recipes Get a Vegan Health Makeover cookbook offers a lightened-up alternative. Not a fan of lentils? Swap in black beans or kidney beans. Want to add some heat? Replace paprika with 1½ teaspoons chili powder.
What you need:
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons water
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked brown lentils
½ cup roughly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons rolled oats
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup tomato passata
½ cup ketchup
½ cup fresh pineapple juice
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
What you do:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk flaxseed with water. Set aside for a few minutes to thicken.
- In bowl of a food processor, add onion, garlic, lentils, parsley, nutritional yeast, and rolled oats. Pulse until a mostly smooth dough forms, with a few larger pieces for texture. Add in flax mixture and pulse to incorporate.
- Into a large bowl, transfer mixture and add salt, pepper, and paprika. Using an ice cream scoop, make 18 to 20 meatballs and drop onto prepared baking sheet. Roll into balls using wet hands and bake until golden brown and crispy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Turn once halfway through baking time.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine passata, ketchup, pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens up slightly and coats back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh pineapple chunks.
- Once meatballs are done, drop into sweet and sour sauce. Serve 4 meatballs per portion with a generous helping of sauce.
For more plant-based recipes like this, read:
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