Craving meatballs — however not the meat? As the vacations method with historically meat-laden meals, these black bean meatballs can loosen up your weeknight menu, even whereas nonetheless delivering necessary protein and vitamins.
They’re comprised of a mix of black beans and quinoa, together with all of the garlic, spice and piquant cheese any good Italian meatball ought to embody. Serve them as a vegetarian meal or as an appetizer, speared with a toothpick to swipe by the nice and cozy tomato sauce.
Black Bean Meatballs With Marinara Sauce
Lively time: 50 minutes
Whole time: 50 minutes, plus chilling time
Yield: Makes about 16 (1 1/2-inch) patties
INGREDIENTS
2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, blotted dry
Olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, grated
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon candy paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed purple pepper flakes
1 cup cooked quinoa, room temperature
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup (packed) finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves, plus extra for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of crushed purple pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to style
DIRECTIONS
Warmth the oven to 325 levels. Unfold the beans on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake till barely dried out and starting to crack, about quarter-hour.
Warmth 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium warmth. Add the onion and saute till smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, paprika and purple pepper flakes and saute till aromatic, 15 to 30 seconds.
Mix the onion combination and the beans in a meals processor. Pulse 2 to three occasions to coarsely mix. Add the quinoa, tomato paste, Pecorino, parsley, salt and black pepper. Pulse 2 to three extra occasions or till the combination simply begins to stay collectively with out turning into mushy.
Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of the combination and type right into a ball. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining combination. Refrigerate the balls for half-hour to 1 hour.
In the meantime, make the sauce. Warmth the oil in a medium saucepan over medium warmth. Add the garlic, oregano and purple pepper flakes and saute till aromatic, 15 to 30 seconds. Whisk within the tomato paste to mix, then stir within the tomatoes and salt. Simmer over medium-low warmth till barely thickened, about 10 minutes. Style for seasoning.
To cook dinner the meatballs, warmth 1 tablespoon oil in a big skillet over medium warmth. Add the meatballs in a single layer with out overcrowding (in batches as crucial), gently urgent the meatballs to type a thick patty. Prepare dinner till browned on each side, turning a few times, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with the nice and cozy sauce for dipping, garnished with parsley.
Lynda Balslev is an award-winning author, cookbook creator and recipe developer based mostly in Northern California. Go to TasteFood at TasteFoodblog.com.
