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Vegan Mushroom Meatballs in Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

Mushroom Meatballs in a Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

5 from 4 votes
These vegan mushroom meatballs are packed with umami and extra flavour from green olives! These are also gluten-free.They’re served with a creamy red pepper sauce to bring it all together. Enjoy this with your favourite pasta of choice or as-is.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Fusion, Italian
Servings 12 meatballs
Calories 77 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Meatballs

  • 7 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms or other mushrooms
  • 8 pitted green or black olives
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 10-12 basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup quick cook oats or oat flour, plus more if needed (see notes)
  • 1 tbsp corn starch , plus more if needed
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika powder
  • Pinch of salt

For cooking

Red Pepper Sauce

  • 1 cup roasted red peppers (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1/2 to 1 cup water adjust to desired consistency
  • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Dash ground pepper
  • 2 tsp sugar adjust to taste
  • 1 1/2 tbsp plain almond or cashew butter

To Serve

  • Drizzle olive oil
  • Chopped basil
  • Sliced green olives

Instructions
 

  • Meatballs: add the mushrooms, olives, and basil leaves in a food processor. Process until minced. Transfer to a bowl and then mix int the oats or oat flour, starch, pepper, paprika, and salt. Mix together until well combined. Test out the mixture and shape a piece, If it doesn’t hold up very well from the moisture from the mushrooms, feel free to add 1 tbsp more corn starch or flour.
  • Shape into 12 balls. On a large pan or skillet, heat some oil over medium. Place the meat balls and leave to cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown throughout. Remove from the pan. See notes for baking.
  • Sauce: blend or process all the ingredients together. Feel free to retain some red pepper chunks. Season to taste, if needed. You can add more sugar to balance out the acidity if desired.
  • Heat the sauce on the pan until it comes to a boil. Mix well and feel free to add more water and season, if needed. Add in the cooked meatballs. Serve and enjoy with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped basil, and more sliced olives if desired.

Notes

Olive

  • Some green olives can be very salty if sitting in liquid. Those I used are from the brand Mezzetta and I just added a pinch of salt. Some may be a bit less salty so season more, if needed.
 

Flour

  • You can test the firmness of your mixture by shaping it into a ball. It should hold well. If it doesn't, you can add 1 tbsp more of either oat flour or corn starch and mix well. This can help absorb excess moisture from the mushrooms and shape your mixture better.
 

Roasted red peppers

  • You can roast your own peppers but I used bottled roasted red pepper from Mezzetta.
 

Baking Option

  • You can bake the meatballs too. Place these on a lined baking tray then spray or brush with oil. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, flip halfway through, if needed.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Serving: 1meatball with sauce | Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 164IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
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