Smoky Chipotle Black Bean Meatless Balls (Vegan, GF)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Smoky chipotle black bean meatless balls served up in a scrumptious marinara sauce.
Author: Kelly
Serves: 24-26 balls
Ingredients
- If you're cooking for 1 or 2, use half the balls (freezing the other half) and half the sauce (freezing separately). You will have a ready made dinner waiting in the freezer! Otherwise, this recipe will serve 4.
- For the Black Bean Balls
- 2 cups (270 g) cooked and cooled quinoa
- 1 cup (110 g) walnut pieces
- ½ cup (40 g) nutritional yeast
- 30 oz (850g/2 cans) cooked black beans, look for BPA free cans
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (or to taste, see Notes)
- 4 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp tamari sauce (or soy sauce/liquid aminos)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp coarse ground Dijon (the wet grainy mustard)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp salt
- For the Marinara Sauce
- 4 cups (900 g) of your favorite marinara sauce (any tomato based sauce)
- ¼ cup almond milk or coconut cream (see Notes)
- 2-3 tsp (to taste) adobo sauce from the same can chipotle peppers (see Notes)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 F
- Spread rinsed and dried black beans on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes; remove baking sheet from oven, shake the pan and return to oven for another 7 minutes or so until most of the beans have dried, swollen nd cracked open (this will help dehydrate the beans and add bulk/texture to the balls). Remove beans from oven and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, place quinoa, walnuts and nutritional yeast in a blender and pulse to combine. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Place baked beans in blender along with: garlic, chipotle, tomato paste, tamari (or soy/liquid aminos), Dijon, olive oil, cumin and salt. Blend to combine, continuing until a textured mass forms (not a super smooth purée). Transfer bean mixture to bowl with quinoa and use your hands to combine (it's fun!). The mixture should be nice and sticky and hold together well. If you find it a little dry, just add a bit more oil/tomato paste/tamari. Also, If it's too warm/soft, pop it in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes before shaping into balls.
- Using an ice cream scoop (ideally) scoop out about 2" worth of mixture and then form into a ball with your hands and place on a lightly greased parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 375 for 30 ish minutes stopping halfway to shake the pan (carefully as balls are not as tough/resilient as meat balls) but will hold up just fine with gentle tossing.
- Meanwhile, warm marinara sauce in a small saucepan, adding milk/cream as desired and adobo sauce if using.
- Place about half of the warm sauce in a separate larger pan and transfer the cooked balls over top (I used half the balls and froze the other half). Top the balls with remaining warm sauce, gently mixing to combine and sprinkle with fresh herbs, cheese, etc.
- Serve as desired (see Notes below for some options).
Notes
Additions to the sauce: you can add to the marinara sauce however you like; I like mixing in some sautéed mushrooms and onion to make it more like a traditional chunky spaghetti sauce.
Working with chipotle peppers: you will find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce commonly sold in small cans. The peppers vary in size (within the can) and there's usually about 1 Tbsp of adobo sauce intermingled with the peppers. Chipotle peppers are hot and not the kind you want to sample directly from the can; but when mixed into a sauce they deliver a smoky delicious heat. How much heat is for you to determine; if you are new to chipotle, go easy and see how you respond to the heat level and make adjustments from there.
Milk or cream for a rosé-ish sauce: I like adding a bit of milk or cream to the sauce for a cooling contrast to the smoky flavors -- it's delicious and creates a pretty rosé sauce; you can work within your own dietary preferences here or skip it all together.
What is nutritional yeast and is it highly contagious? typically sold in flake form (looks a bit like a shaker of parm cheese), nutritional yeast is a seasoning that adds yummy flavor and nutrients to food. A source of B vitamins -- notably fortified with B12 important for vegans. I like its nutty (mildly hoppy) taste and many find it has a flavor reminiscent of cheese. I've topped some of the balls with it (and typically smother my popcorn in it too:) Give it a try! I use the one made by Bragg.
For service: enjoy these balls however you like - with pasta or spiralized veg or simply over mixed greens (we typically use a cabbage mixture).
Portion: if you're cooking for 1 or 2, I suggest using half the balls (freezing the other half) and half the sauce (freezing separately). You will have a ready made dinner waiting in the freezer! Otherwise, this recipe will serve 4.
Working with chipotle peppers: you will find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce commonly sold in small cans. The peppers vary in size (within the can) and there's usually about 1 Tbsp of adobo sauce intermingled with the peppers. Chipotle peppers are hot and not the kind you want to sample directly from the can; but when mixed into a sauce they deliver a smoky delicious heat. How much heat is for you to determine; if you are new to chipotle, go easy and see how you respond to the heat level and make adjustments from there.
Milk or cream for a rosé-ish sauce: I like adding a bit of milk or cream to the sauce for a cooling contrast to the smoky flavors -- it's delicious and creates a pretty rosé sauce; you can work within your own dietary preferences here or skip it all together.
What is nutritional yeast and is it highly contagious? typically sold in flake form (looks a bit like a shaker of parm cheese), nutritional yeast is a seasoning that adds yummy flavor and nutrients to food. A source of B vitamins -- notably fortified with B12 important for vegans. I like its nutty (mildly hoppy) taste and many find it has a flavor reminiscent of cheese. I've topped some of the balls with it (and typically smother my popcorn in it too:) Give it a try! I use the one made by Bragg.
For service: enjoy these balls however you like - with pasta or spiralized veg or simply over mixed greens (we typically use a cabbage mixture).
Portion: if you're cooking for 1 or 2, I suggest using half the balls (freezing the other half) and half the sauce (freezing separately). You will have a ready made dinner waiting in the freezer! Otherwise, this recipe will serve 4.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2019/03/smoky-black-bean-meatballs-in-marinara.html