These Vegetarian Meatballs are super easy to make, incredibly versatile and ridiculously delicious! Made with cauliflower, onions, garlic, and flavorful spices, these veggie balls make a wonderful snack and appetizer, or you can add them to salads, grain bowls, sandwich wraps and more!Recipe can be scaled up or down by using the slider if you hover your mouse over the number of Servings.
Optionalfor Serving:Marinara Sauce(or your favorite dipping sauce, such as Ranch)
Instructions
Cook Cauliflower: Add the riced cauliflower to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a small part of the bowl uncovered to form a vent. Transfer to the microwave and heat on full power for 5 minutes, or until tender. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave, uncover and stir the cauliflower rice. Set aside.
Meanwhile, Sauté the Veggies: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and jalapeños to the pan. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the stovetop and set aside.
Chop the Veggies in the Food Processor: To the bowl of a large food processor, add the onion-jalapeno mixture. Pulse, scrapping down the side of the bowl as necessary, until finely chopped, about 10 pulses. Then, add the cauliflower rice to the bowl. Pulse, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once, until everything just comes together, about 12-15 pulses. Transfer the meatball mixture to a large mixing bowl. (Tip: DO NOT process the mixture until it’s totally smooth; you want some texture in your meatballs.)
Mix the Meatballs: To the bowl with the cauliflower, add the eggs, panko breadcrumbs, cheese, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper, then stir to combine and evenly mix.
Form the Meatballs: Using a ice cream scoop or cookie scoop, scoop two tablespoons of the mixture into your hands and roll it into a large ball. Transfer the meatball to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process, rolling the remaining vegetarian meatballs and transferring them to the baking sheet.
Chill to Firm Up the Meatballs: Transfer the meatballs to the refrigerator and chill for 15-20 minutes; alternatively, you can transfer them to the freezer for 10-12 minutes. (Tip: If prepping for later, cover the tray of meatballs with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Cook Meatballs: There are three different ways you can cook your cauliflower meatballs:Air-Fryer: Line your air-fryer basket with parchment or spray with non-stick cooking oil. And preheat the air fryer to 350-degrees. Add the meatballs to the basket and spray the top lightly with oil. Close the air-fryer and cook, rotating or shaking the tray halfway through, for 16-18, minutes, or until golden brown all over and cooked through. Remove from air-fryer and season lightly with salt and pepper.Oven-Baking: Transfer the meatballs to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spray them lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping the meatballs over halfway through baking. Remove from oven and season lightly with salt and pepper.Stove-top: Add enough canola or vegetable oil to generously coat the bottom of a large skillet or wok. Place the pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs to the pan in batches to prevent over-crowding. Cook, turning and rolling the meatballs occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until the meatballs are golden brown all over and hot throughout. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and season lightly with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining meatballs. (Note: If your meatballs start browning too fast, simply lower the heat on your stove.)
Serve: Serve vegetarian meatballs warm with your favorite dipping sauce, such as marinara, ranch or thousand island. Or store for later to use in salads, grain bowls, and more! Enjoy!
Notes
Cauliflower - Fresh riced cauliflower works best in this meatball recipe; however, frozen bags of cauliflower rice work too - just steam according to package instructions.
To save money, make cauliflower rice yourself! Simply purchase a large head of cauliflower and cut it into large florets. Either add the florets to the bowl and pulse until they resemble rice -OR- use the shredding/grating disk attachment. You'll need 5 cups of cauliflower rice.
Nutritional information is an estimate based upon 24 meatballs. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.