These Italian meatballs swap out ground beef for plant-based Beyond Beef, one of my 10 tips for how to become a vegetarian. They're perfect for vegetarian meatball sandwiches, pasta dishes, and pasta soups (think Lasagna Soup!). And they don't fall apart like so many do!
This vegetarian meatball recipe comes together super-quick, and the meatballs are baked.
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My husband, Carnivorous Maximus, loves meatballs. If something on a menu is a meatballs something-or-other, he orders it. I've made them in past years using both pork and beef, a recipe of my mom's, but I needed to come up with a vegetarian version we could both enjoy.
There are two ways to go when making vegetarian meatballs: make them with beans, nutritional yeast and spices, like this vegan meatball recipe, or use a vegan meat product such as Beyond Beef. My husband prefers Beyond Beef, so I took that path.
When I started researching vegetarian and vegan meatballs recipes online, I noticed in the comments sections that many home cooks had problems with them falling apart. It's not a horrible thing to happen since you just end up with a "meat" sauce.
But when you've promised meatballs to your husband, you want to make meatballs. So I turned to Beyond Beef. I use it in my vegan sloppy joes, and its twin, Impossible Meat, in a vegetarian hamburger helper, so it's a perfect choice. How
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- These Beyond beef meatballs are vegetarian (they use eggs as a binder).
- They don't fall apart when you remove them from the baking sheet.
- Use ingredients you probably have on hand.
- Kid-friendly comfort food.
- Carnivore-husband-friendly. (He LOVED them.)
- Make-ahead, and refrigerate or freeze until you need them.
🧅 Ingredients + Notes
- Breadcrumbs - either plain, Italian seasoned or panko all work.
- Milk - either whole milk, 2% milk, or oat milk. Other plant-based milks may work, but I only tried oat milk.
- Grated Parmesan cheese - either dairy-based or vegan Parmesan substitute.
- Eggs - for a binder, to prevent the meatballs from falling apart.
- Garlic
- Fresh parsley
- Dried herbs and spices - Kosher salt, red chile flakes, fennel seeds, oregano and onion powder.
- Beyond Beef
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🔪 Recommended Equipment
This is the equipment and pantry items I recommend for making these vegetarian meatballs.
📝 Instructions Overview and Tips
Detailed instructions for making these vegetarian meatballs with Beyond Beef are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview!
Step 1
Mix. Whisk up the eggs, and combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix until combined using a wooden spoon.
Step 2
Chill. Chill for at least 15 minutes.
Step 3
Scoop. Using a small ice cream scoop, form little meatballs about 1.2 ounces, and gently roll between your palms. Arrange on a parchment sheet lined baking sheet.
Step 4
Bake. Bake at 400˚F for 15-20 minutes.
👩🍳 Preparation Tips
A great way to check the seasoning is to take about 1 teaspoon of the mixture before the chilling step, and fry it in a skillet. It just takes about 5 minutes, and now you'll know if you want to add additional salt, herbs or other spices.
🤷♀️ FAQ
Can I make these ahead?
Yes. Completely cool, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 6 month in the freezer.
Can I cook them from frozen?
It's best to thaw them first on the countertop, or in the oven using low heat. A toaster oven works great for this.
But if you're in a pinch for time, you can add them to a pasta sauce, but you'll need to cook them longer.
📇 Pasta Dishes and Sauces for Meatballs
Spaghetti Squash Pasta with 'Meaty' Sauce
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (with Pasta)
Smoky Spicy Roasted Tomato Sauce
Hearty Vegan Roasted Tomato Sauce
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Beyond Beef Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup breadcrumbs plain, Italian seasoned, or Panko
- 3 tablespoons milk whole, 2% or oat milk
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese or vegan Parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs lightly whisked
- 3 large garlic cloves grated, or use Gourmet Garden garlic paste
- ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried red chile flakes
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds lightly crushed using a mortar and pestle
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 16 ounce package of Beyond Beef
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dump all the ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix together using a wooden spoon.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Using a medium size ice cream scoop, about 1 ½ inches wide, form the meatballs. Gently roll between your palms to form round balls. Mine weigh anywhere from 1.1 - 1.3 ounces.
- Arrange on the parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. They should feel firm when you lightly press your finger on them.
- Use in a pasta dish or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days. The meatballs can be stored in the freezer in a sealed container for up to 6 months.
Lynn S
Followed the recipe exactly with one exception. To make the meatballs vegan (besides using vegan parm as suggested) I used Just Eggs as an egg substitute. While the meatballs had an okay flavor they were still very mushy even after baking for the full 20 minutes. The meatballs felt firm and had a nice “crust” on the outside but the centers were not cooked and quite unpleasant to eat.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm sorry they didn't work for you. I'm made them around 15 times now over the past year. I'm wondering two things 1) did you use Panko breadcrumbs or regular ones, and 2) what was the size of your meatballs?
Lynn S
I used regular bread crumbs. Size was slightly smaller than the recipe suggested as I made 24 meatballs rather than the 20 noted in the serving information.
DAS333
Thank you These are the best. My family loved them so much. Followed recipe exactly. I put them in a vegan gravy I make which has layers of flavors, too, and boy, perfect in that gravy as well. Always pays to follow people who go to culinary school. THANK YOU!.
Susan Pridmore
Thank you so so much!!! I'm delighted that the recipe worked so well for you!! Thank you very much for letting me (and my readers) know!