30 Minute Vegetarian Meatballs – cauliflower, quinoa, brown rice, garlic, and spices. SUPER versatile – recipe makes a huge batch so you can stockpile them in your freezer for easy meals later!
SCALE
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups cauliflower florets (roughly 1 head of cauliflower)
- 3 cups cooked quinoa and/or brown rice (see notes)
- 3/4 cups of a “dry ingredient” like oat flour, almond meal, breadcrumbs, etc.
- 4 eggs
- 1 heaping tablespoon spices (chili powder, paprika, and/or cumin will work)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan with a thin coating
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cauliflower: Cook the cauliflower florets in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes, till fork-tender. Drain well.
- Mix: Pulse the quinoa and cauliflower through a food processor until semi-smooth (see pictures for texture). Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and combine with all other ingredients. Stir until everything is incorporated. Roll into small balls (about one heaping tablespoon per ball was best for me).
- Cook: Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat – add the balls and cook for a few minutes on each side – they will need to be gently turned every so often to get browned all the way around. Serve with yummy sauces, salads, bowls, or freeze for later!
NOTES
I used Seeds of Change pre-cooked garlic brown rice and quinoa for this recipe (2 packets = about 3 cups). Since this has garlic flavor already in the mix, if you are using your own pre-cooked quinoa and/or brown rice, make sure to add some minced garlic or garlic powder.
If the mixture doesn’t stick together in a ball when gently pressed, add about 1/3 of the mixture back into the food processor and pulse until it’s more the consistency of hummus. That should help it hold together. If that still isn’t enough, just add a little more of your “dry ingredient” till you get a consistency that you can gently roll between your hands to form ball shapes.
Nutrition facts are for 1/12th of this recipe, so just take your total # of meatballs and divide them into 12 servings – the exact number of meatballs per serving depends on how big you make the meatballs.
