Vegan Quinoa Meatball Parmesan

I am so honored and super excited to be guest blogging here on Cooking Quinoa! I am crazy obsessed with quinoa, and couldn’t be more excited to be sharing a recipe with fellow quinoa lovers on such an incredible blog!

I am Alissa from GirlMakesFood where I share easy vegetarian and vegan recipes (and have been known to talk about my love of vegetables). I am a culinary grad turned Holistic Nutrition Counselor, and my busy schedule led me to develop quick and approachable recipes that are chock full of healthy stuff. Which led me to blog about them! I have been a vegetarian on and off for about 15 years, and in recent years been leaning a lot in the vegan direction. So, to me, quinoa is one of the most perfect foods and a total staple.

There is never less than 4lbs of quinoa in my pantry at all times (though some of that is me forgetting that I bought it last week, and buying it again).

I was always really into the idea of quinoa cakes, because the crispy bits you get when you fry quinoa is one of those things that puts me in my happy place. Perhaps humans are hard wired to love crispy things, or just I am, because those parts that escape and get extra crispy are the little treasures I save for myself (and snack on while no one is looking).

The first several times I made quinoa cakes I used eggs to bind them. I recently learned the amazing, life changing, master trick that meant I never had to use eggs anymore: to use extra water to cook the quinoa. Game. Changer. This was the meal I made to celebrate the discovery that I didn’t need eggs to bind up the quinoa to form patties. It’s my happy comfort food, with a little makeover since it is totally vegan. Once again, quinoa for the win! Health highlight of tomatoes: Tomatoes are also full of antioxidants that have been shown to prevent certain types of cancer (specifically lung and prostate) promote heart health, and may be helpful in supporting bone health. One of these antioxidants is lycopene, which has been linked to higher functionality with age, as well as increases your skins natural SPF!

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Vegan Quinoa Meatball Parmesan

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• Quinoa Meatballs:
• 1 cup Quinoa
• 3 cups Water
• 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley chopped
• ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
• ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
• To Serve:
• 1 tablespoon EV Olive Oil
• 1 jar 24 oz Tomato Sauce (bonus points if you make it yourself, here is my quick recipe)
• ½ cup Vegan Mozzarella Cheese I used Daiya

Instructions

1. In a medium pot bring the quinoa and water to a boil
2. Turn the heat to low and place a lid on the pot
3. Set a timer for 30 minutes
4. When the timer goes off remove the pot from the heat and use a spoon to stir the quinoa until it sticks together and starts forming an almost dough like texture
5. Add the parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper
6. Stir until thoroughly combined
7. Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes (lid off) or until you can handle it safely
8. Form the quinoa into meatballs (I got about 20 meatballs)
9. In a large oven safe pan (it’s going under the broiler) add the oil and the meatballs
10. Cook on medium heat, turning the meatballs occasionally to get evenly browned
11. Top the meatballs with the sauce, heat until the sauce is warm
12. Top with the cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted
13. Serve and enjoy!!

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