By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches
I've always had a soft spot for meatballs. When I was a teenager, one of my favorite meals were sweet and sour meatballs with pineapples and vegetables served over rice. I thought it sounded very gourmet! Then, when I became a vegetarian for ten years, I made tofu balls like crazy. But it's been a while since I've revisited the veggie ball, so when I spied a recipe for "meat balls" on a friend's blog using veggie ground round and feta (one of my favorite salty cheeses), I was intrigued. Plus, it helped that I had most of the ingredients ready to go in my fridge.
The original recipe called for an egg to be mixed into the whole lot. I was out of eggs, so I improvised using a dollop of dijon (tarragon dijon, to be precise). It was delicious and gave these balls a nice flavour kick as well as providing a good bind. I thought these might be delicate so I cooked them in the oven instead of a frying pan, but they really held their shape well, so go ahead and try them in a non-stick skillet if you like.
Toss them with pasta and marinara sauce, or eat 'em like a toddler with a yogurt sauce (recipe below) and some cucumber sticks.
Vegetarian Feta Balls
(adapted from moreterriers)
1 package of veggie ground round
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup well-crumbled feta
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper
splash of hot sauce
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
Use a teaspoon to grab a clump of the mixture and roll it into a ball using your hands. Place balls on a baking tray covered with a silpat sheet or just lightly oil your cookie sheet instead.
Bake for 10 minutes and gently flip and bake until golden brown & crispy, another 10 minutes. Makes about 18 balls. Serve with spiced yogurt sauce.
Spiced Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper
1/4 teaspoon sumac
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Combine all ingredients and serve in a small bowl for dipping.
I've always had a soft spot for meatballs. When I was a teenager, one of my favorite meals were sweet and sour meatballs with pineapples and vegetables served over rice. I thought it sounded very gourmet! Then, when I became a vegetarian for ten years, I made tofu balls like crazy. But it's been a while since I've revisited the veggie ball, so when I spied a recipe for "meat balls" on a friend's blog using veggie ground round and feta (one of my favorite salty cheeses), I was intrigued. Plus, it helped that I had most of the ingredients ready to go in my fridge.
The original recipe called for an egg to be mixed into the whole lot. I was out of eggs, so I improvised using a dollop of dijon (tarragon dijon, to be precise). It was delicious and gave these balls a nice flavour kick as well as providing a good bind. I thought these might be delicate so I cooked them in the oven instead of a frying pan, but they really held their shape well, so go ahead and try them in a non-stick skillet if you like.
Toss them with pasta and marinara sauce, or eat 'em like a toddler with a yogurt sauce (recipe below) and some cucumber sticks.
Vegetarian Feta Balls
(adapted from moreterriers)
1 package of veggie ground round
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup well-crumbled feta
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper
splash of hot sauce
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
Use a teaspoon to grab a clump of the mixture and roll it into a ball using your hands. Place balls on a baking tray covered with a silpat sheet or just lightly oil your cookie sheet instead.
Bake for 10 minutes and gently flip and bake until golden brown & crispy, another 10 minutes. Makes about 18 balls. Serve with spiced yogurt sauce.
Spiced Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper
1/4 teaspoon sumac
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Combine all ingredients and serve in a small bowl for dipping.
