You’ll ask: “How is it possible that these taste like meat?!”

Well, it’s the combination of ingredients and spices!

These vegetarian, quinoa, and black beans balls are easy to make, especially if prepared as part of the Zero-Waste Quick & Healthy Meal Plan the easiest recipe plan for the non-chefs in a hurry who want to eat healthily and avoid food waste.

Following the simple instructions, you can prepare most of the needed ingredients in advance, and when it’s time to make this recipe you just need to put them together.

This strategy saves you time and money and, at the same time, you’ll be helping the environment because the ingredients that you bought for the week will all be included in the 7 free recipes included in the meal plan.

This recipe can be stored in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 5 days and can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Download the full grocery list for the entire week and get started with Healthy Eating Made Easy!

Veggie Quinoa Meatballs

This easy-to-make nut spinach salad is ready in just 15 minutes and is part of the FREE No-Waste Healthy Quick Meal Plan.

• Author: Claudia Canu
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 35 min
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Lunch
• Method: Batch Cooking
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegetarian

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

½ cup (70 g) quinoa
1 cup (160 g) black beans
¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons (48 g) oats
1 small red pepper, roasted
¼ cup (30 g) walnuts, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 small red onion
1 egg
8 big cubes of kashkaval cheese, or similar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cumin
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt

TOMATO SAUCE

1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 big can (800 g) of crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
All the parsley left or 1-2 Tablespoons

Instructions

1. In a food processor, add the black beans, quinoa, red peppers, oats, walnuts, egg, onion, and garlic. Process and scrape the sides as many times as needed.
2. Once all the ingredients are incorporated, you can add the spices and process again or you can take out the processor’s blade and mix in the spices manually.
3. Using about 2 tablespoons as your size guideline, form the mixture into a ball.
4. Push one cube of cheese inside the ball and close it so that the cheese is fully covered by the mixture. Make 8 equally-sized balls and place them in the freezer while you prepare the sauce.
5. In a large pan heat the extra virgin olive oil and fry the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until golden.
6. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and parsley, mix well and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the balls to the sauce spaced enough so that they don’t touch each other. Cover them with some of the tomato sauce, place the lid on the pan and let it simmer. After 7 minutes, move the balls to make sure they are not sticking to the pan.
8. Serve them warm with a salad or whole wheat bread or both.

Notes

This recipe can be frozen.

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Claudia Canu

Claudia Canu is a former junk food and sugar addict transformed into a Health Motivator with a master’s degree in Nutrition. She has created this website not only to share her “Journey to her Healthy Forties” but also to help other busy women with basic knowledge about nutrition and who don’t love cooking, to live a healthier life, and achieve big goals.

To get in contact with Claudia, visit the contact page. To read more about her, click here.

claudiacanu.com/