Vegetarian Pizza "Meat"balls

[plasticepoxyParticipant]

I need more vegetarian recipes!
Here’s one I like, because it’s easy and yummy:
‘Pizza “Meat”balls’
Ingredients:
-pre-made pizza sauce (I get organic, without “natural flavorings” listed on the ingredients or make my own, my mom makes a meat version with just regular canned pizza sauce)

-1 package (this equals about half a pound of ground meat, I think, maybe a pound?) meatless crumbles/TVP, etc
-1 egg (small to medium sized)- whisked
-about half a cup of bread crumbs
-half a smallish purple onion – minced
-1-2 cloves garlic – minced
-slab of mozzarella cheese made without animal-based rennet (or you can use string cheese) cut into small cubes, I get a bigger slab and just eat what I don’t use in this recipe
-salt and pepper to taste

-couple tablespoons flour, i use unbleached wheat flour
-3-4 tablespoons olive oil, for frying (I don’t keep other oils in the house, I think you can use whatever you want here)

I combine the protein, half the egg, onion, garlic, S/P, and enough breadcrumbs to make everything stick together (sometimes I use more than half the egg, or I throw in a little almond milk if things are too dry to stick), I don’t measure when I cook, so I’m guessing here. Sometimes I end up adding more breadcrumbs or protein if things get too soggy.

Form the “meat”balls, I usually ball up a couple of tablespoons and then shove a cube of cheese in the middle. Once that’s done, roll it in flour.

Heat your pan, add the oil, then add the floured “meat”balls. You don’t have to cook these like regular meat, but I like to let them get a little crispy on the outside and give the onions/garlic a little time to soften. Don’t forget to turn them! Once they’re nice and crusty, add the pizza sauce to your pan, and let everything cook together until the sauce is heated through (or longer, if your cheese isn’t melted yet or your onions/garlic are still too raw for your taste, I like them a little sharp in flavor, but if you don’t omit them or precook if you’d prefer).

If you add the sauce too soon, it will compromise your meatballs and they’ll fall apart. They need to have a crust to prevent this. I turn the heat off once they start oozing cheese from inside.

I serve these with rice.

[AnnaParticipant]

I’m a little curious as to what “meatless crumbles” taste like…what are they made of? I’m pretty skeptical when it come to meat substitutes. I like veggie dishes that aren’t supposed to contain meat but it seems to me that if the dish is based around meat you can’t really omit that part without compromising the quality. No offense, just how I see it.

[LiliParticipant]

Anna, I don’t know about meatless crumbles, but morningstar ‘chikn nuggets’ are amazing! Like Mickey D’s chicken nuggets minus the pink slime :O)

BTW, its nice to see someone up this late, I’m feeling chatty but it seems like all the east coasters are asleep

[AnnaParticipant]

It’s funny you would say that. McD’s chicken nuggets with BBQ sauce are my FAVORITE and I don’t care what they’re made of. They’re delicious! And I’ve been eating them for at least 25 years so they must not be lethal

You will often see me on here at ungodly hours because I work 3rd shift in a call center. If I were at home, there’s an equal chance that I would be awake at 4 am though…the only difference is I would be buzzing on wine

[plasticepoxyParticipant]

I stopped eating meat about 11 years ago, because I didn’t like the taste/texture, so I think I understand what you’re asking; I refused to try them for a long time because I wasn’t interested in replacing meat in my diet. Some people eat them because they miss having real meat in their diet, and at least in the US, our culture is extremely meat-based. So many people ask me what I eat, and tell me I’m missing out, they’re the same people who tell me it’s not a meal if it doesn’t have meat.

I started using meat replacements as an attempt to compromise on my diet with a meat-eating (not in my life anymore, thankfully) boyfriend. He would get upset that he was eating one thing and I ate another. He wanted me to start eating meat again, I wasn’t interested in doing that and really just wanted to find a way to not have to hear how frustrated he was with my choice at every meal. I first used the Boca burgers when the ex and I were having friends over to grill, this gave me something to eat without “sticking out” as he put it.

Now I find them pretty helpful when wanting to have a quick prep time for something with protein, or if I want to try a new recipe, I can use a meat recipe and just replace the meat product with a non meat product and end up with a similar result, if I like it and want to put more effort in, I can then adjust the recipe to not have a protein focus. My husband eats meat, as does my step son, so when I’m making dinner, I can use the replacement stuff for them sometimes and we don’t have to make two different meals. I tend to just find other protein sources though, and don’t generally bother trying to replace meat, although a number of my comfort foods would be meat based if I still ate it.

The meatless crumbles don’t taste like meat, to me. They taste like, well, something else. It depends on what they’re made of. Some are made out of soy protein, some are made of TVP (texturized vegetable protein), some are made from mushrooms, some are made from wheat gluten. My favorite brand is Quorn. They make chicken cutlets (like boneless, skinless chicken breasts), chicken nuggets and sandwich patties, a breaded chicken cutlet stuffed with gruyere cheese, burger patties, meatballs and the crumbles. Quorn is made from mushrooms. I personally don’t care for Boca brand (I believe they use 100% soy protein). Morningstar Farms has a lot of meat replacements, including breakfast sausage and bacon and a range of burgers, including some that don’t pretend to be meat.

Sometimes I forget what real meat tastes like and get grossed out by the replacement stuff, but for the most part I think it’s very clearly NOT meat. It does help to provide a texture that a lot of veggies-only meals are missing. It’s a little easier to work with in some ways than tofu.

Sorry for the novel, lol.

[TheRabbitParticipant]

I like TVP for recipes where you would normally add ground beef or turkey, but all the ingredients are in some flavorful saucy thing that imparts most of the taste to the meal. Like for sloppy joes or chili or tomato “meat” sauce. It really just gives the food a meat-ish texture and adds protein.

I agree with plasticepoxy… meat substitute is kind of a misnomer. I would never confuse any fake meat product for meat. In my experience, if you are expecting fake meat to fool you, you will probably be disappointed. Once I made BLTs with fried tempeh with liquid smoke, and while it was definitely reminiscent, you would not ever confuse it for a real BLT. But still a good meal in its own way.

[AnnaParticipant]

The funny thing is that I actually like Boca burgers and have tried the Morningstar farms veggie burgers too. They were pretty good as a “sandwich.” If I am craving a burger, however, nothing except cow will suffice! It’s like a different category for me. And there are some foods that I love that absolutely cannot be replicated without meat, such as BBQ ribs, chicken wings, chili, and stuffed peppers.

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