What We’re Cooking This Weekend: Vegan Swedish Meatballs
Years ago, after sampling Swedish meatballs for the first time at IKEA, I was instantly hooked on this delicious dish. Fast forward five years and now that I'm vegan, I've found a way to keep the incredible taste of the traditional recipe, while making it totally meat-free!
What makes Swedish meatballs so delicious is the gravy that accompanies the dish. Thankfully, this gravy has only a few ingredients and is super easy to make. The vegan meatballs themselves are made with chickpeas with sauteed onions, garlic, and mushrooms pack it with some flavor. If you aren’t a fan of chickpeas you can always substitute with lentils, black beans, or whatever legume you like.
Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 40 Min
Total Time: 1 Hour
Vegan Swedish Meatballs
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 2 Tbsp OIl
- 1 ½ Cups Onion, diced
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Cups Mushrooms, diced
- 14 oz Canned Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Bread Crumbs
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tsp Dried Parsley
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- ½ Tsp Salt
- ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
For the Gravy
- 3 Tbsp Vegan Butter
- 3 Tbsp Flour
- 2 cups Veggie Broth
- ½ Cup Vegan Cream
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Heat up your oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add your onions and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add your garlic and mushrooms, and saute for an additional 5-8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
- In a food processor, add your chickpeas, bread crumbs, onion and mushroom mixture, soy sauce, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper. Pulse it until combined. Be sure not to over blend to the point you end up with a paste. You want there to be some chunks of chickpeas, onions, and mushrooms still. If you find your mixture is too dry, you can mix in a tbsp of water.
- Scoop out about 1 ½ Tbsp of your mixture and form them into balls and place them on your baking tray. Spray your vegan meatballs with some oil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Flip your vegan meatballs after 15 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove from the oven and make your gravy.
- In a large pan over medium heat, add your vegan butter and melt it in your pan. Add your flour and mix it in until it’s combined. Cook it for 1 minute. Whisk in your veggie broth and vegan cream. Continue to stir over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Around 8-10 minutes.
- Once it’s thickened, add your vegan meatballs and mix them around until each vegan meatball is coated. Let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Serve with some mashed potatoes or on top of some cooked pasta and enjoy!
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