Italian TVP Meatballs Recipe (Vegan) (2024)

FAQs

How to make TVP taste good? ›

To rehydrate your TVP, pour boiling water or broth over the desired amount and let it soak for 5-10 minutes, or until it's reached the desired texture. Because textured vegetable protein is quite bland on its own, we recommend rehydrating it with a broth to boost its flavor before combining it with a meal.

Roll your meatballs in flour

Roll the finished meatballs in plain flour before frying. This is, hands down, one of the easiest ways I've discovered to prevent meatballs from falling apart when cooking.

Usually if meatballs are dense or heavy then it is because the meatball mixture has been handled too much and the minced (ground) meat has become compacted. It may help to use beef with a slightly higher fat content, as the extra fat will provide a little extra moisture.

What are the disadvantages of TVP? The main disadvantages of including this product in your diet include: Difficulty digesting soy properly — When soy is not fermented (soaked and sprouted), it can be hard to break down due to antinutrients it contains, which block some of its minerals from being absorbed.

Potential downsides

Although TVP can be made from several different ingredients, it's typically made from soy. Soy is one of the most common allergens. If you have a soy allergy, consuming soy-based products can cause serious side effects, including anaphylaxis, which can be life threatening ( 14 ).

If you don't have vegan Parmesan, you can use extra nutritional yeast in its place. If you don't have ground flax seed, soak your breadcrumbs in plant milk to replicate the binding agent. Use 1 tablespoon of unsweetened plant milk for 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. The texture of the meatballs will be softer.

Egg and breadcrumbs are common mix-ins to add moisture and tenderness. Another binder option that people swear by is a panade, which is fresh or dry breadcrumbs that have been soaked in milk. “The soaked breadcrumbs help keep the proteins in the meat from shrinking,” as food writer Tara Holland explained in the Kitchn.

You can brown the uncooked meatballs in a sauté pan before adding them to the sauce. You can brown them in the oven. Or you can skip browning altogether and put the raw meatballs straight into the sauce to cook.

How do you bind meatballs together? ›

Egg: A lot of meatball recipes add egg to the mince mixture because it helps to bind the balls together. Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs also help to bind your meatballs. If the mince mixture is quite wet, breadcrumbs will help soak up excess moisture so that the balls don't fall apart.

What soaking the bread does is add moisture to the meatball as well as bread for a binder. In today's recipe, I used a mixture of fresh bread crumbs and soaked bread. The combination of both turned out to be a winner. Another general rule when forming meatballs is to work quickly and handle them as little as possible.

Add Milk for Moisture

A little bit of milk will add moisture to your meatballs. (Many people think it's the eggs that add the moisture, but their role is to bind the meat, breadcrumbs, cheese and herbs.)

Baking will result in meatballs with a crunchy exterior, though the caramelisation achieved from frying will be superior. Baked meatballs take the least amount of effort, as you'll only need to turn them once or twice throughout the cook and you can make a larger batch at once.

2% milk, half and half or cream can be used in place of whole milk. I have also used pasta sauce (like tomato basil marinara sauce) for a dairy-free version with great results. Worcestershire Sauce. In a pinch you could substitute BBQ sauce, lemon juice or omit it all together.

Mix in the vegetable broth, TVP, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetable broth has absorbed and the TVP is tender and chewy. If it gets a bit dry just add a splash more vegetable broth.

Textured vegetable protein takes on that taste of whatever you're cooking it with. Because of this, instead of using water, you may want to consider rehydrating your TVP with sauce, soup or vegetable broth.

Now that you have a bowl of reconstituted TVP, use it as a canvas to add your favorite spices, just the way you would any other protein. You can season it with a simple mixture of salt and pepper, give it Italian flair with some oregano and sage, or make it spicy with cayenne.

Rehydrate. To rehydrate, pour boiling water or broth over TVP®. Stir and let stand for 5–10 minutes.