Chef John's Meatless Meatballs

I made this recipe for vegetarian meatballs to celebrate Earth Day. Thanks to a thorough browning, mushrooms provide more than enough savoriness. The garlic, cheese, and parsley do the rest. What really blew me away was how close the texture was to actual meatballs. They are officially approved for use on spaghetti!

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins
• Calories: 421 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch dried oregano
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 large eggs, divided
• ½ cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 pound fresh white mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 ounce very finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, packed
• 3 cups pasta sauce
• 1 tablespoon very finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to the hot oil, sprinkle with salt, and cook and stir until liquid from mushrooms has evaporated. Stir butter into mushrooms, reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir mushrooms until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Step 2

Stir onion into mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir garlic into mushroom mixture until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until meatballs are lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Step 4

Bring pasta sauce to a boil in a large saucepan; reduce heat to low. Gently stir meatballs into sauce until coated. Simmer meatballs in sauce until cooked through, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 1 tablespoon parsley.

Step 5

Mix oats into mushroom mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently stir 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into the mixture. Add bread crumbs, 1/4 cup parsley, and 1 egg; season with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Mix together with a fork until crumbly. Stir in remaining 1 egg. The mixture should hold together when pressed.

Step 6

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours. For best flavor and texture, refrigerate overnight.

Step 7

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Step 8

Form mixture into small meatballs using a 2-tablespoon scoop. Roll meatballs lightly between your hands until smooth, if desired; arrange meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.