JayasheeI am part Swedish, which I’m told is why I’m so freaking tall. My grandma never talked about it, I’m not even sure it’s true, and I never had a veggie meatball until experiencing a blood sugar crash at an Ikea after hours and hours of shopping. They’re really good, but the gravy at Ikea is not vegan, so alas, I decided to recreate my own! These vegan meatballs are loaded with veggies and chickpeas, and made without any gluten, oil, or refined sugar! They’re shockingly easy to make, and this recipe makes about 30 balls, so you’ll have some leftovers! This is how we made it:
Vegan Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients:
Meatballs:
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax meal + 3 tbsp warm water)
½ onion, finely chopped
1 red bepper, finely chopped
½ bunch kale, finely chopped
½ cup frozen or fresh peas
2 cups chickpeas
1 tbsp fresh parsley
¼ cup almond meal
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Gravy:
½ cup raw cashews
½ cup boiling water
1 garlic clove
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place the cashews in your mixer with the boiling water. Let them sit for about 30 minutes while we make the meat balls.
Mix together your flax egg in a small bowl, and then set aside to set up for at least 5 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add a couple tbsp of water. Add the onion and bell pepper, and cook until soft, or about 5 minutes. Add a little more water, and then add the kale and peas. Cook until soft, or another few minutes.
Transfer the sauteed veggies to a food processor, and add the chickpeas, parsley, almond meal, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the mix still has some texture but is not a pile of mush. Pulse it gently! Stir in the flax egg.
Prepare your air fryer or line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Roll the mix into little meatballs, and place them in the prepared pan.
To air fry the meatballs, cook them for about 15 minutes at 370 F, flipping halfway through. To bake the meatballs, cook them at 350 F for closer to 25 minutes (I’m 100% guessing here because I only ever use my air fryer because it’s so much better than my oven! Let me know if I guessed wrong by starting a fight in one my posts on Facebook!)
In the meantime, let’s make the gravy. Add a clove of garlic and the mustard to the cashews. Blend until creamy and smooth.
Heat the veggie stock in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it’s boiling, add the cashew cream. Reduce it to a simmer, and cook until it begins to thicken, which takes about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve your swedish meatballs with gravy over mashed potatoes or your favorite gluten free pasta!
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