Sage White Bean Vegan Meatballs with Pomegranate Sauce (Festive Plant-Based Main Dish)
Looking for a delicious plant-based main dish to serve during the holidays—or any time you’re craving something hearty and festive? These Sage White Bean Vegan Meatballs with Pomegranate Sauce combine simple whole-food ingredients like white beans, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, hazelnuts, and fragrant herbs to create a savory, satisfying entrée. May be prepared without added oils, salt, and sugar, too! Oven-baked and naturally vegan (and easily gluten-free), these flavorful “meatballs” offer wonderful texture and depth without any processed ingredients. The bright, jewel-toned pomegranate mandarin sauce adds a beautiful seasonal accent, making this dish ideal for holiday parties, potlucks, or a cozy weeknight dinner you can feel good about. Simply chop the vegetables, mix and shape into balls, and bake—an easy, wholesome recipe that also freezes well for make-ahead meals all winter long.
One of the healthiest food trends is homemade vegan meatballs recipes, which are savory little veggie balls filled with beans, vegetables, herbs, and whole grains baked into golden perfection and served with a flavorful sauce, as in this recipe. Plant-based dishes like this can be the star of your plate, taking the place of less healthful animal protein choices. So, if you’re wondering what you can enjoy on a more plant-based diet, this hearty, satisfying comfort food entrée recipe is a great example.
Eating a more plant-based diet is linked with a multitude of health benefits, including lower risk of chronic diseases. By including more servings of pulses (beans, lentils, peas), whole grains (oats, quinoa, wheat), veggies (sweet potatoes, broccoli, squash), and nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios), you can fill your plate with disease-fighting nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and phytochemicals—plant compounds that act to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body which can lead to chronic disease. No wonder this plant-powered eating style is so good for you!
Step-By-Step Guide:
Wondering how to make vegan meatballs? Check out this step-by-step guide on how to make White Bean Sage Vegan Meatballs with Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce.
Check out the video for this delicious, plant-based recipe here, as well as on Instagram.
Description
These savory, delicious White Bean Sage Vegan Meatballs are filled with the goodness of beans, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, hazelnuts, and sage. Serve them as an entrée with this flavorful pomegranate mandarin sauce.
- Using a food processor with the shredder attachment, shred sweet potato, onion, celery, and mushrooms and transfer to a bowl. Then using the chopping attachment, chop hazelnuts, garlic, and sage and transfer to the bowl. (Alternatively, may shred with a box grater, or chop very finely by hand).
- Place the drained beans in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher until smooth, with some chunks remaining.
- Add shredded vegetables and chopped nuts-garlic-sage to the bowl with beans.
- Add mustard, celery salt, black pepper, soy sauce, maple syrup (optional), lemon juice, oats, and flax seeds. Mix well, using hands, to create a smooth texture. Add enough breadcrumbs to make a soft consistency that holds a shape. Season with salt (optional).
- Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow easy handling of mixture.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Using a spoon and clean hands, shape mixture into about 40 golf ball-sized meatballs, pressing firmly together.
- Place veggie meatballs on baking sheets sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake at 375 F for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
- To make pomegranate mandarin sauce, whisk together pomegranate juice, mandarin orange juice, maple syrup (optional), cardamom, and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until bubbly and thickened. Stir in mandarin orange zest and pomegranate seeds (arils) and chill until serving time.
- Serve vegan meatballs with sauce immediately. Makes 10 servings (4 meatballs + 1/4 cup sauce each).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs + ¼ cup sauce each
- Calories: 257
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 117 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 10 g
Description
These savory, delicious White Bean Sage Vegan Meatballs are filled with the goodness of beans, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, hazelnuts, and sage. Serve them as an entrée with this flavorful pomegranate mandarin sauce.
- Using a food processor with the shredder attachment, shred sweet potato, onion, celery, and mushrooms and transfer to a bowl. Then using the chopping attachment, chop hazelnuts, garlic, and sage and transfer to the bowl. (Alternatively, may shred with a box grater, or chop very finely by hand).
- Place the drained beans in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher until smooth, with some chunks remaining.
- Add shredded vegetables and chopped nuts-garlic-sage to the bowl with beans.
- Add mustard, celery salt, black pepper, soy sauce, maple syrup (optional), lemon juice, oats, and flax seeds. Mix well, using hands, to create a smooth texture. Add enough breadcrumbs to make a soft consistency that holds a shape. Season with salt (optional).
- Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow easy handling of mixture.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Using a spoon and clean hands, shape mixture into about 40 golf ball-sized meatballs, pressing firmly together.
- Place veggie meatballs on baking sheets sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake at 375 F for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
- To make pomegranate mandarin sauce, whisk together pomegranate juice, mandarin orange juice, maple syrup (optional), cardamom, and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until bubbly and thickened. Stir in mandarin orange zest and pomegranate seeds (arils) and chill until serving time.
- Serve vegan meatballs with sauce immediately. Makes 10 servings (4 meatballs + 1/4 cup sauce each).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs + ¼ cup sauce each
- Calories: 257
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 117 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 10 g
Sharon’s 10 Favorite Plant-Based Comfort Food Main Dishes
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