Any pasta lovers here? Raise your hands if you love pasta and also meatballs! And surely, I am talking about MEATLESS meatballs! And I assure you that these meatballs will you give more protein than any other balls made of real meat!
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
How come I am so sure? Because these ‘meatballs’ are made of quinoa and black beans! Such a lovely combination, isn’t it? Well, 1 cup of cooked quinoa (185 g) gives you over 8 g protein which is about 16% of recommended daily intake of protein!
On the other hand, 1 can black beans contains about 14 g protein which absolutely amazing for veganswho are worried about their daily protein intake!
If you love spicy food and barbecue taste on the top of it, this recipe will leave you super happy. I can gurantee! Instead of using a store-bought BBQ sauce full of additives and nasty ingredients, you can easily make your own BBQ sauce at home. Just watch and learn, my friend.
BBQ sauce is not only good for summer BBQ sessions in your garden but it’s very good to change your usual taste once in while and eat your pasta with BBQ sauce. It tastes amazing!
The base of your homemade BBQ sauce is made of good-quality chipotle sauce. Check the ingredients to make sure your chipotle sauce is vegan! Some chipotle sauce brands contain eggs, buttermilk and other non-vegan ingredients so double for yours.
Oh, and I forgot – those meatballs are so delicious. They are crunchy outside and soft inside with small pieces of black beans. If you like your meatballs spicy, give it extra boost of cayenne pepper or chilli flakes!
MORE PASTA RECIPES FOR PASTA LOVERS:
The meatballs resemble so much real meat then you won’t believe they are completely plant-based! You won’t be able to get enough and want more!
If you want tokeep yur recipe gluten-free, don’t forget to choose gluten-free pasta. I used gluten-free spaghetti by BARILLA which are so good. They don’t stick together and don’t like ground corn kernels!
Black Bean Meatballs With Spicy BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
For meatballs:
- 1 medium red or yellow onion peeled and chopped
- 1 cup quinoa cooked
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
- 4 tbsp warm water
- 1 tbsp concetrated tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt, pepper to taste
- cornstarch if needed
For spicy BBQ sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup hot chipotle sauce
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp maple or agave syrup
- 1 pack gluten-free pasta (spaghetti)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- To a food processor, add black beans, cooked quinoa, olive oil, coriander leaves, tomato paste all the remaining spices and herbs. Pulse a few times until the dough with a nice texture is formed. Don’t overmix it because you still want to see small pieces of beans.
- In a small bowl, mix together ground flaxseeds and warm water. Set it aside until the gel is formed. Add it to a meatball dough and press shortly again. If the texture is to runny, add a little bit of cornstarch to make it thicker.
- Taste it and adjust taste by adding salt and/or pepper. With your wet hands start making small ‘meatballs’. You should make around 10-12 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on a baking tray lined with a baking papper or a foil and bake it for 5 minutes. Then set aside.
- Make your spicy BBQ sauce: In a saucepan, heat olive oil and add onion and garlic. SauteƩ for 2 minutes, then add all the remaining ingredients. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste it and season according to your taste.
- Prepare your pasta according to package instructions. Mix spicy BBW saucw with meatballs and serve with cooked pasta.
- Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Donāt forget to tag me on Instagram @writtenbyvegan or use hashtag#writtenbyvegan or share it with your friends and family! You can also rate this recipe below! š
Klara Walterova
Klara is a professional freelance writer for hire. She offers web content, blog posting, ghostwriting and copywriting. She writes for a healthy lifestyle, wellness and travel websites. She focuses on veganism and the vegan diet. When she's not writing, she develops new tasty vegan recipes, travels the world or plays with her cats. Please contact her for her online writing services on her website writtenbyvegan.com or visit her Instagram profile @writtenbyvegan.