I've been meaning to make an Italian vegetarian meatball alternative for ages, but life caught up with me and time took me past my kitchen at light speed. Exhausted, walking barefoot through 8 feet of snow, uphill both ways to school, I've managed to get this done once and for all. Sigh of relief ensues. Feelings of self-pity evaporate.
Translation: I had to go out of town on a last minute emergency and I'm back home in my own kitchen now.
Recipe notes
This veggie meatball uses nutritious okara, the soy pulp left over in the soy milk making process, but feel free to use a pressed extra firm tofu if you don't have okara on hand.
The recipe for these meatless balls is for a basic Italian style, but get playful with the herbs and spices to obtain the flavour you crave. If you like your food salty, add some more in the dry mix (I always go light on salt).
Italian Okara Meatballs
- Directions/Method
- Mix the dry ingredients, the gluten flour, spices, and oatmeal powder (use a grinder or blender/liquidiser to grind whole oats) in a medium bowl.
- Make a paste out of all the remaining ingredients by placing all but the okara in a spice mill or blender. Remove and stir okara in until mixed.
- Add the okara mix to the dry mix and stir until all of the ingredients begin to mix. You can also use your hands if you'd like, but be sure not to overknead the dough.
- Form into small balls and steam for 25-30 minutes. When you're ready to eat the vegan meatballs, simply fry them up in a little oil or add to your favourite sauce to serve with pasta!
Hi ! I tried this this evening, and it was just... perfect !
Thank you very very much for this wonderful recipe.
Glad you liked them! I made them with a pomegranite BBQ sauce for a picnic and they went down well.
These look really good... couple of questions: I've weighed 1/2 cup + 1 Tbs vwg and it's around 75g, which is a lot more than 40g! When you make these, do you use volume or weight measurements? Also... do you measure the okara before or after you squeeze it dry? Thanks... can't wait to try this recipe. Great website, BTW!
Thanks for pointing out the weight error! It should, in fact, be about 75g. I initially made the recipe as a half batch since it's just the two of us here, but forgot to increase that particular ingredient when I made it a bigger recipe for the site. As far as the okara goes, measure it after you've squeezed the liquid out. And thanks for the site compliment 🙂
I've never heard of "Natex or yeast extract spread". I live in the United States. Is there another more universally available product that I can use as a substitute?
I've never heard of "Natex or yeast extract spread". I live in the United States. Is there another more universally available product that I can use as a substitute?
I use nutritional yeast, but I'm sure miso paste will work just as well.
I've never heard of "Natex or yeast extract spread". I live in the United States. Is there another more universally available product that I can use as a substitute?
Natex is an ethical Marmite alternative, so anything along those lines will work! It just adds a salty beefy taste, but I reckon you could use salty bean paste or something in place if you can't find anything. I haven't tried it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Natex is an ethical Marmite alternative, so anything along those lines will work! It just adds a salty beefy taste, but I reckon you could use salty bean paste or something in place if you can't find anything. I haven't tried it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Natex is an ethical Marmite alternative, so anything along those lines will work! It just adds a salty beefy taste, but I reckon you could use salty bean paste or something in place if you can't find anything. I haven't tried it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Is the vital wheat gluten, oatmeal and okara all I need to get the texture of the meatball? I'd like to adapt it for my family's spaghetti sauce recipe, and as a beginning cook I am always worried about which ingredients are just for flavor and which ones are influential for the end product.
Side note... I'm not a full vegetarian (it's too drastic for me to change cold... er... turkey...), but I'm *loving* your recipes, making small steps, and I will be sharing them with others. Thank you!
You are correct that the vwg, okara, and oatmeal are the main ingredients for texture. In fact you can even leave out the oatmeal and increase the okara by a little bit for a more firm meaty texture. Either way works! And the recipe is certainly adaptable for other flavours- I've made these in loads of different ways for different types of dishes.
Glad you like my recipes! If you ever have any questions or anything, please feel free to get in touch!
its difficult to get vital wheat gluten in ireland. is there any other product that can mimmick it?
There really isn't, but you can order it online...
Thank you very much for this recipe! I've been trying to find yummy recipes from time to time over the years to rescue my mom's okara (also from tofu making) from the bin or the compost.
Besides baking them into muffins (were not to anyone's taste unfortunately) and trying to make "soy falafel" (fell apart when frying, since I couldn't use eggs), I finally found a really well-seasoned and perfect texture meat ball recipe here! Even my meat loving dad didn't have the feeling "something's missing" with these.
I substituted nutritional yeast for veggie soup broth and worcestershire sauce for some lemon juice and sugar though, since we didn't have any of those in the house. Still, very delicious. Will definitely make them again.
Thanks a lot again!
Hi Serena! Thanks for reporting back after making the recipe, and I'm glad to know it's adaptable. If you are looking for other ways to use okara, try substituting it in other gluten baes faux meat recipes where tofu, beans, or other soft liquid-ish ingredients are called for...
Absolutely delicious! I've made this recipe twice now and just love it. This last time I used the okara left over from a batch of homemade soy/coconut milk. Divine. Thank you for your really great site!
Thank you for your compliment 🙂 Good idea to use coconut milk leftovers too! I've also made the meatballs with leftover almond pulp with good results.
I've made this twice, tweaking the recipe a bit to create more of an Asian flavor the first time. I love this recipe! I have so much okara left from making tofu, and this is perfect!
So glad you like it! What did you add, if you don't mind me asking?
This has been my go to recipe to get the "wow" response from my non vegan and vegan friends/family. Plus, I like to keep some on hand in the freezer to make a quick spaghetti and meatballs on the fly. I have also made the dry ingredients and wet ingredients ahead of time and kept them in the fridge for at least 2 wks without adding the gluten flour, ready for future use. I make my own almond or soy milk at home with a Soya Joy machine and I always have okara coming out of my ears! My freezer fills up with a huge stack that I don't want to throw away! Anyway, I came across your recipe while desperately looking for okara uses. I found almond or soy okara works the same in your recipe and is delicious with either. This is a versatile recipe and I have also tweaked a few ingredients here and there. Thank you so, so much for this recipe! Sorry to be so long-winded, but you should also know that, by making these meatballs, I learned that I could steam other meat substitute recipes that have gluten in them! OK, I'm done.
Please don't apologise! You've made my day with your lovely comment. I always appreciate when people come back to talk about their experiences, positive or not, with my recipes. I find okara is a great stand-in for many other ingredients in steamed faux processed meats (like some call for mashed beans and I use okara, for instance).
I just made soy milk for the first time and was like, "what the heck do I do with all this soy pulp?" A few searches later, and I stumbled across your recipe. I haven't tried it yet...but have a few questions:
Can I make these in a pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot? If so, do I need to wrap them in foil or something?
I'm a novice when it comes to steaming... Do you have a rack that you put in a large pot? Can you stack this balls, or will they still together?
Thanks in advance for all your help!
Jonathan
@zerowasteguy
Hi Jonathan,
I don't see why it wouldn't work in an Instant Pot, though I haven't tried that myself. It wouldn't hurt to wrap them, but I think a plate on a steaming basket could also work (depending on how many meatballs). As for when I steam, I have two methods. The first is a large Chinese two tear aluminium steamer. The other are stackable bamboo steamers that fit over a normal medium saucepan. I usually stick a plate into the steamers and place the meatballs in single layers, not touching. No matter which way, if you need to stack them I would try the foil. You probably don't need to be too concerned with individual wrapping, but layering just to keep balls from touching directly...
These are great! I have made them many times now. They work well with spaghetti, with tomato sauce as well as alfredo. I always brown them in a bit of oil after steaming, which I do on a low round rack that fits in a skillet. I love having a tasty outlet for all my okara from soymilk making! Thanks for a keeper recipe!
Sounds incredible! Does it freeze well too?
yeah, totally!
Would love to make these from the soy pulp I have leftover. I am GF. Will this recipe work using gluten free flour in place of VWG? Thanks!
Hi Connie,
I have never used gluten free flour in place of vital wheat gluten so I don't know if it will work. If you try it, I'd love to know how it turns out!
Making GF faux meat is a bit of a challenge because it tends to fall apart unless you use a lot of starches, oat flour or flax egg, which then causes it to become gummy and unappetising.
Years ago I found an awesome GF meatballs recipe using soya mince and sweet potatoes. I've since lost the link, but came across it on Pinterest, so I'm sure if you search there you'll find it. I'm sure you can substitute soya mince for okara successfully. Should the mixture get too soggy, simply add a little coconut flour.
Hope this helps.
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