Fake meatballs made with walnuts, crackers, cheese and spices.
Strangely enough for a vegetarian blog, this isn’t the first time that I’ve written about meatballs. The recipe from a few years ago for meatballs with sweet and sour sauce is still one of my favorite appetizers, but I’ve adapted it to make a pretty tasty Italian-style meatball that goes great with a red sauce and spaghetti.
Normally I don’t even use a recipe for veggie meatballs: I just grind up a handful of whatever nuts we have on hand (usually walnuts or almonds), mix them with breadcrumbs or crackers, spices and cheese (usually mozzarella or Parmesan), and then bind it all together with an egg or two. I roll them into balls, place them in a baking dish, top them with sauce (so they don’t dry out), and bake them at about 350 degrees until they’re golden and the sauce is bubbling.
But last weekend we had people over for dinner, and my husband was making real meatballs with a recipe from Mario Batali’s “Molto Italian.” Not only were they real, Mario’s meatballs even had pine nuts! It was clear that I was going to have to step up my game, so I stole Mario’s pine nut idea and got to work.
Fake Meatballs – Italian Style
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
20 saltine crackers, crushed (about 1/2 sleeve)
3/4 cup shredded provolone cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1/4 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon sage
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups tomato sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix walnuts, pine nuts, crackers, cheeses, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme and sage together in a large bowl. Add eggs, and stir until mixture starts to come together.
Form mixture into 1-2 inch balls, and place in an ungreased 9 by 13 inch casserole dish. (Should make about 12 balls). Pour sauce over meatballs, and bake, uncovered, for about 35 minutes. Meatballs are done when the sauce is bubbling and the meatballs are puffy and golden.