20 Minute Meatless Meatball Recipe #BeyondMeat

This post is brought to you by BeyondMeat and Markerly. All opinions are my own.

As a teenager, I hated eating meat. I was never a full-on vegetarian, but I chose meatless alternatives whenever I could. Ten years ago, the meatless alternatives were good, but not great. They tasted good, but I could almost always tell the difference.

I do eat meat, but prefer to only do so when it’s been treated humanely from start to finish. Meat like that isn’t always available, and so it’s nice to know that there are other options out there. I was invited to try BeyondMeat Beef Crumbles, a new-to-me meatless alternative, and it completely blew me away. It tasted just like the real thing- in fact, it had several things going for it:

-It’s meatless. Whether you’re a vegetarian or just want to vary your diet, BeyondMeat offers an alternative. Made with 100% Non-GMO pea protein, it’s a plant product.

-Anyone can enjoy it: it’s Gluten-free, Soy-free, and Kosher.

-It’s nutritious: A serving contains 10g of protein {the same as ground beef}, without cholesterol, saturated fat, or trans fat.

-It’s delicious: Whether you choose the beefy flavor {a hint of garlic and citrus} or the fiesty variety {a zesty blend for tacos or chili}, it is perfectly seasoned.

-It’s versatile: You can make burgers, tacos, lasagna- whatever you want! If it uses beef, you can use BeyondMeat Beef Crumbles.

I made “meat”balls using the BeyondMeat Beef Crumbles. Not only are these meatballs meat-free, but they aren’t even really meatballs. I had never made meatballs before, and the recipes that I found on Pinterest were intimidating. Most of them took over an hour and  required dirtying several dishes just to make tiny balls of meat. By using the BeyondMeat Beef Crumbles, I was able to cut that cooking time down to roughly 20 minutes- including prep and clean up.

20 Minute Meatless Meatballs

Ingredients:

-1-2 tbsp coconut oil {enough to fill pan when melted}
-1 tbsp basil
-1 tsp oregano
-1 tsp rosemary
-1 package BeyondMeat Beef Crumbles {beefy flavor}
-4 tbsp tomato paste
-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
-1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
-Olive oil spray

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Melt coconut oil in a medium sized skillet
-Add spices and heat on medium for about a minute
-While spices are on the stove, warm your BeyondMeat crumbles in the microwave for about 40 seconds {I put them into a bowl but you could leave them in the bag}
-Add the Beef Crumbles to the skillet in a single layer
-Add the tomato paste and stir well, coating most of the “beef”
-Simmer for a minute or two on medium heat
-When “beef” is hot, add mozzarella and stir. The mozzarella should melt into the “meat” as you stir- if it doesn’t, allow to heat on medium until it does.
-When everything is mixed, add the breadcrumbs and mix one last time.
-Using an ice cream scoop, form balls of “meat” and place onto a foil-lined cookie sheet. {As they cool down, you may be able to use your hands to form more compact, round balls.}
-Lightly spray with olive oil to prevent burning and place on the middle rack in the oven for ten minutes.
-Allow to cool for a minute or two before removing from cookie sheet, serve with pasta of your choice, top with marinara and enjoy!

I served ours with zoodles {noodles made out of zucchini} because Justin doesn’t eat pasta, and because it seemed fitting to replace our pasta with veggies since we were doing the same with our meat.

Buy It: BeyondMeat products are located in the freezer section of many grocery stores {we found ours at Whole Foods}. You can use the store locator to find some near you.

Read It: You can learn more about BeyondMeat products in these articles from The Today Show and the NY Times! You can also read more on their website.

What recipe would you try first with BeyondMeat Beef Crumbles?