When I heard that a food blogging conference was taking place in the state just next door, I was intrigued. When I heard that friend, cookbook author, and fellow blogger Kathy Hester was going to be there, I said “Sign me up!” So a couple of weeks ago, I drove the four hours to Birmingham, Alabama, to attend Food Blog South‘s second annual conference. Though I don’t do blogging conferences very often, I’ve found that they’re a great way to recharge my batteries; having actual face-to-face conversations with people who share my enthusiasm for food, photography, and writing takes a lot of the isolation out of blogging. This particular conference left me super-charged because I was able to spend time not only with Kathy but also with two other vegan bloggers, Heather of Better With Veggies and Katie Cain of Bistro Katie. Dinner out with them at the vegan-friendly Bottletree Cafe was one of the highlights of the weekend.
Of course, the conference itself offered plenty of information and inspiration, but when you’re a food blogger, your main focus is on the food, and when you’re a vegan, that focus turns into concern, as in “Will there be anything for me to eat?” The answers in this case were “No, no, YES, and not really.” Neither the pre- and post-parties nor the breakfast offered much for a vegan to sink her teeth into other than pickled okra, but the lunch, provided by Shindigs Catering, featured a vegan, gluten-free main dish that turned out to be the second highlight of the conference: Spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and vegetable-based orbs that all of us vegans began calling Beetballs after conversations with the very gracious chef revealed that the ingredients included beets, almonds, chickpeas, smoked mushrooms, and smoked onions. I was sure that one, if not all, of us would wind up trying to recreate Beetballs.
Almond-Based Beetballs Crumbled on a Pita Pizza
Well, I may be the first, but I tested them enough for all four of us! In the course of a week, I made them four different ways, trying to get the consistency (firm yet crumbly when you cut into them) and the flavor (smoky yet not over-seasoned) just right. I didn’t have smoked onions or mushrooms, so I use dried porcini mushrooms for their deep, woodsy flavor and regular raw onions for all but one attempt, when I roasted the onions, beets, and garlic beforehand, making the texture very firm but not at all crumbly. After my first attempt, using pecans, I decided to try using almonds and going for a more sausage-like flavor with fennel seeds, sage, and red pepper flakes. And of course I had to try a lower-fat version using quinoa instead of the nuts. Every variation I tried produced balls that held their shapes and tasted slightly meaty, but in the end the ingredients and seasonings I liked best are reflected in the recipe below. I expected the almond version to come out the winner, but overall I found that the pecans produced not only the best flavor but also the best texture–fitting for a recipe that originated at a Southern bloggers’ conference.
So what did I do with four batches of Beetballs? You would think I’d have so many that I would need to freeze some of them, but they disappeared very quickly. Besides a couple of Beetball and Spaghetti dinners (tofu shirataki noodles for me), both D and I enjoyed Beetball Sandwiches (pickles and loads of hot sauce on mine), and twice I made Beet-zzas–both regular and pita pizzas with Beetballs and assorted veggies. I think Beetballs could be used in just about any dish that calls for a meat substitute, though I don’t recommend cooking them in sauce. Heat them separately in the oven or microwave and then gently add the sauce just before serving–or do as I did for spaghetti and beetballs and pour the sauce over the beetballs. Because they contain no gluten, corn starch, xanthan gum, or other “sticky” processed ingredients, they can’t take a lot of stirring or moisture without falling apart, so please handle your beetballs with care.
Beetballs (Vegan, Gluten-Free Sausage)
I used golden beets because that’s what I had on-hand, but regular beets will lend your beetballs flecks of vibrant red. Increase the fennel and red pepper flakes for a more sausagy flavor, and use hot smoked paprika for more smoky heat.
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 medium raw beet
- 1/2 cup raw pecans, almonds, or other nuts (see note for low-fat alternative)
- 1/2 medium red or yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (mild or spicy)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon hickory smoked salt or Liquid Smoke (optional)
Instructions
- Place the mushrooms in a small saucepan and add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and rinse them well and set aside. Strain the broth through a coffee filter or fine sieve and reserve it for later use. (Leftover mushroom broth can be used in any recipe that calls for vegetable broth.)
- While the mushrooms are cooking, put the nuts into a food processor and pulse to chop finely. Do not over-process–we want finely chopped nuts, not nut powder. Place the nuts in a large mixing bowl.
- Peel the beet and cut it into cubes. Add it to the food processor along with the reserved mushrooms, garlic, and onion and pulse to chop coarsely. Add the chickpeas and all remaining ingredients and pulse several times to chop the chickpeas, but do not turn it into a paste. All the individual ingredients should be recognizable.
- Add the processor contents to the nuts and stir well to combine. If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon of the reserved mushroom broth. Allow the mixture to rest while you preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, measure out a heaping tablespoon of “dough.” Using damp hands, form it into a ball, squeezing lightly to compact it. If the dough seems too dry, add additional broth (this should not be necessary–you don’t want the dough to be too wet). Place the ball on the lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. You should be able to make about 18-22 balls. If you like, flatten some of the balls to use in sandwiches or on pizza.
- Bake until the balls are brown and slightly crisp on the outside, about 35 minutes. (Flattened balls will take a little less time.) Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Variations
I prefer these with pecans, and almonds are my second choice, but for a lower-fat alternative, substitute cooked quinoa. The mixture will be moister, and you should not need to add any broth. If it’s too moist, try adding another teaspoon of ground flaxseed and let it rest for a few minutes before handling.
Preparation time: 25 minute(s) | Cooking time: 35 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Nutrition (per serving, using pecans): 227 calories, 108 calories from fat, 12.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 750mg sodium, 397.4mg potassium, 23.4g carbohydrates, 7.9g fiber, 4.7g sugar, 8.3g protein, 6.8 points.
Nutrition (per serving, using quinoa): 169 calories, 38 calories from fat, 4.5g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 751.6mg sodium, 386.5mg potassium, 26.6g carbohydrates, 7.3g fiber, 4.2g sugar, 8.2g protein, 5 points.
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{ 95 comments… read them below or add one }
I wish I had an eat that now button. I am so going to make these this week.
Those look amazing! I wish I lived closer so I could be one of your taste-testers ; )
Want some when I make a batch?
These look great. While I generally enjoy the commercial meat substitutes, they are typically so processed and contain so much fat that I usually only allow them about once a month. A friend is gifting me with her seldom-used food processor in a week or so, so I plan to try this when I receive it.
(Can hardly wait.)
Agreed that this recipe is begging to be tried! FWIW, I have also started experimenting with the gluten-free seitan recipes from Jeanette at MeatAndEggFree, leaving out the oil and the nutritional yeast (something I like about twice a year).
These beet balls look much more suited for topping a pizza,though!
An amazing compilation of ingredients! Can’t wait to cook these up.
These looks great, and, having grown up there, it is great to see Birmingham mentioned in a positive way!
Susan,
This recipe looks incredible. I’ve been missing vegan sausage since I had to go wheat-free recently. I will be making this very, very soon. Thanks so much.
DM
These look amazing, and I will definitely be trying these out. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes and for sharing them with the rest of us!
**Oh, and I voted for ya!
Blessings,
Tobi Pawson ~La Pine Better Living Center
The texture on these looks great! I love homemade sausages/burgers/meatlessballs (you name it). Thanks for sharing
I loved those meatballs at the conference! I’ve been dreaming of making my own.
This looks like a neat recipe. I remember one time we had beet “sausage” at a place called Tzu Jan in Escazu, Costa Rica and it had this great flavour and chewy texture. I’m not much of a sausage person or fake meat fan at all really, but I’ll keep these in mind. Would you believe even as an omni I’ve never had spaghetti and meatballs? My family just cooked the ground beef into the sauce and did it quickly. So needless to say I’ve never had a gravy for spaghetti and meatballs. It looks like it would be good in a wrap or on pizza.
Ok this look sooooo appetising, unfortunately i don’t have all these ingredients and i don’t get paid to tomorrow but this is sooo tomorrows meal, trying to resist the urge to lick my computer screen lol.
a dream come true!
i’m so sick of processed fake meat products.
thank you thank you…
Wow, I am so glad you made it with quinoa! We are highly nut allergic here, and I was sad when I first started reading, because the recipe sounds so wonderful, but, alas, you took care of it! Thanks so much for giving the alternative!
I wonder do you think canned beats would work? I have regular cubed canned beats in my pantry.
Shirley, they will probably work, but in my tests, using cooked beets changed the texture and the flavor. I really preferred them with raw beets.
I’ll stick to the uncooked fresh then. Thanks for the advice.
These look amazing! And I love the word “beet-zzas”!!
Hi Susan – I just wanted to let you know — I made these this weekend, and they are so good! I had them as meatballs (over quinoa), and my meat-loving husband loved them too! Thank you
Hi – these sound fabulous! As do beet-zzas! I can’t do chickpeas – do you think the quinoa could substitute for the chickpeas instead of the nuts? Or do you have another idea?
Thanks!
Can you do another type of bean? Lentils or white beans would make a good substitute. I’m just afraid that quinoa won’t be sticky enough on its own.
Thanks. I should have thought to use cannelloni beans, which I discovered when I made your lovely Thanksgiving Meatless Loaf!
Delicious and totally gluten free! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Susan,
Happy Valentine’s Day! These look fantastic! And I love all the beet-derived terms you get out of this, my favorite being beetzas!! Wonderful! Today is a special day for me because it’s the fourth anniversary of the official start of this WOE for me, and the 16th anniversary of the official diagnosis of MS. Four years ago I was starting out, and my “special” dinner to myself was your ridiculously easy lasagne (with DeBoles gluten free noodles), a big salad with an orange juice and fig vinegar dressing, and your skinny figgy bars for dessert. Although I have simpler fare planned for tonight, now I’m going to have to extend the celebration and make myself some of these beetballs and gluten free spaghetti. I am a big fan of beets, as you may know. And an Italian girl like me has great memories of homemade meatballs and now I can have beets and meatballs in one!
I really look forward to trying these out. Thanks again for another stunning recipe. You have inspired me all the way, and continue to do so. May all your wonderful dreams come true.
xoxo
moonwatcher
What an incredible recipe! The flavors from the mushrooms and spices must be scrumptious paired together. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi Susan,
I have tried to like beets, but I just don’t.
Is there a sub you’d could recommend to replace the beets?
Thanks-a-bunch!!!
Laina
Laina, I have to tell you that I honestly couldn’t taste the beet in these, so it’s a good way to eat beets without tasting them. But if you really don’t want to use the beet, any starchy vegetable should do. Sweet potato would be a good choice.
Okay, thanks, Susan. I’ll give the beets a try. I can always pinch my nose if they don’t turn out. hee hee!! And if I find that I like them, I’ll feel good about being able to eat/enjoy beets is such a tasteful way.
Oops, meant to ask another question. If I use button mushrooms, how much should I use?
By the way, Congrats on winning the Mom’s contest. You deserve it!!!
Thanks!
I knew someone was going to ask about the mushrooms. The truth is I don’t know. I’ll take a wild guess and say 1/2-3/4 cup of sliced mushrooms.
these beetballs will be a great substitute for processed non-meat. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes. I voted for you!
Finally! A tasty-sounding alternative to the frozen meatballs with TVP. I’ve been looking for something to give to my toddler. I hope they go over well.
How cool is this! I definitely want to try this soon.
I have a daughter allergic to tree nuts. Can I substitute the almonds for something else? Also, I noticed tree nuts are in a lot of vegan recipes. Is there a general substitute that I can use? Would sunflower seeds work?
Sunflower seeds will work in this recipe and in a lot of vegan recipes. I don’t think they will get “creamy,” so they may not work as a substitute for cashews in cream sauce. Then again, they might! I just haven’t tried them.
Tried the other recipes on your blog. Great tastes. However I found out my girl she’s having allergic reaction (allergy history to dairy and egg too) to nutritional yeast. What can I use to replace nutritional yeast?
You can just leave the nutritional yeast out.
This is my first time posting on your blog although I’ve been a silent follower for a LONG time!
This looks absolutely delish – my fiance loves meat and I’m trying to gather veg-friendly recipe’s that I think he’ll also love.
~ Shaza ~
We have a flax seed allergy in the family–would chia seeds work? If so, would you try to grind them? I will also need to substitute either sunflower seeds or quinoa for the pecans (we have a nut allergy, too.) Or should I do quinoa for the pecans and sunflower seeds for the flax? Finally, would you use raw or roasted sunflower seeds?
Chia seeds instead of flax is fine, either ground or unground. You could use either quinoa or sunflower seeds for the pecans, whichever you prefer.
We have been fat free vegans for approx 6 months now and I don’t think we would have made the transition as easily without your website and recipe index. We can’t thank you enough!
This particular recipe was so easy and absolutely delicious. I couldn’t find dried mushrooms so I just used fresh ones. The smoked paprika was the hit secret ingredient for me. I served it with rice and quinoa and a homemade tomato sauce. My husband was blown away!!!
Me again. Read your web about nutritional yeast. I just wonder why my girl she’s ok with normal yeast like the one in bread and not nutritional yeast. Do you have any ideas?
I’m sorry, but I just don’t know. It’s possible to be allergic to anything, so I guess she’s sensitive to it. You should be able to leave it out of most recipes with no problem, though you should avoid those that use it for most of their flavor, like cheesy sauces.
FWIW, even some of the “cheeze” sauce recipes from J. Stepaniak work okay without adding the nutritional yeast. (And the recipes I have are from a little cookbook put out by a nutritional yeast manufacturer!) White beans and onion taste really good on their own, if you’re okay without a strong sharp taste.
What will also be different is texture, bc the “nooch” makes mixtures more viscous, too. Just wanted to echo that you can totally leave it out of almost any recipe! Best wishes to your daughter.
I recently made a raw version of beet balls and absolutely loved them! Great recipe.
When I gave up meat, meatballs were what I missed most. Thanks so much for this recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
We just made these and they are really delish! The store didn’t have dried porcinis so we used dried portobellos. Also we happened to have black eyed peas on hand so used them instead of chickpeas. The flavoring is really fantastic.
Hello
Sorry to be a pain. Being from Australia, sometimes the names for ingredients can differ on this side of the globe. What we call ‘beets’, is beetroot, but these beetballs don’t have any maroon’ish colouration. Is there another name, or some other beet that I know nothing about.
Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes. I have been an avid reader for a few months now and have been able to show my family of carnivores that my eating is pretty fabulous ever since
They actually look forward to vegie meals, who would have thought!
Hi Tigerseye, here we have different varieties/colors of beetroot, and I used a golden one for this because that’s what I happened to have in the fridge. The regular red kind will work just the same.
Thanks for reading!
Oh good
I can’t wait to try it. The variety of goods available in other parts of the globe is interesting to say the least. I will have to head out to the markets one day, and see what I can find, as I am beginning to feel like a sheltered child.
Thanks very much and have a great day
This look delicious! I have them bookmarked for the summer when people start giving me beets by the bushel!
I made this recipe last night. WONDERFUL!!! I have to say that I was too tired to make meat balls — so I used my 1/2 cup and made “burgers” instead. My husband and I both had several. Thanks for the great recipe.
Made therse for Valentine’s Day, great success!
Beetballs, they look delicious! When I was a meat eater, my boyfriend made me these amazing meatballs with spaghetti. It was my favourite dish but obviously it doesn’t count anymore. I’ve been looking for recipes to resemble it! Maybe this one makes it! Thanks!
Can I use regular fresh button mushrooms instead of the dried porcini mushrooms?
We are a typical American family experimenting with vegan dishes once a week to try to broaden our horizons. I liked the idea of beets this week as I’ve never cooked with them or cared for them much but the beautiful blood red color makes me want to love them! So tonight I made beet balls and beet cake for my three slightly picky boys. I thought they would hate them but they ate them up!! Even my 4 year old who won’t eat a vegetable if it’s not a cucumber, chowed down. And they loved the beet cake as well. Thanks for shocking the pants off of me! I think these beet balls would be even better on a pizza. I saved five of them and we’ll have pizza sometime this week as well.
Susan this looks awesome. Is there anything you could think of that I could substitute for the flaxseeds? I seem to be food sensitive to both them and chia seeds! Thanks!
You could use potato or corn starch instead of the flax–just something to help them stick together.
if i were to add a tsp of corn starch to it along with all the other ingredients would that make them firmer/more together? I like really together sort of meatballs.
Hi Susan! I’ve been “silently” following you for a while (does that make me a stalker?
), but HAD to comment on this recipe. It was amazing! Me and the omni fiance (he calls himself an accidental vegan because I do most of the cooking and he’s surprised by how much he likes the food we eat) absolutely loved the beetballs. They were phenomenal! I’m going to play around with making a “beetloaf” soon from this recipe. We also really liked the scrambled tofu and kale… yum! Thanks for all your awesome recipes!
Would you be able to use brown rice instead of pecans or quinoa?
Thank you!
I’m sure you could. The texture will be different, but the flavor shouldn’t be bad.
HI again Susan,
These are delicious! And the best part of all is that I am getting to alternate having them with brown rice pasta and spaghetti squash. When you posted about having them that way at the conference I thought that sounded great, so was thrilled to see a few spaghetti squash at my co-op. I made them with a red beet, and since I had only 1/4 cup pecans I used those and 1/4 cup cooked quinoa. I almost made the “dough” too wet in worrying it was too dry, but all turned out. They are so much fun!
Thanks–
xo
moonwatcher
I really don’t like mushrooms… Is there any substitue for it? thank you.
just use veg broth or any you prefer. I’ve also used whte wine for a more “adult” flavor.
use potato, or any vegi that adds moisture and texture.
If I promise you that you won’t notice the mushrooms, would you give them a try?
if not, you can just use additional chickpeas, about an extra half cup.
Whoa, made these with red beets and they were wayy too beet-ey. They didn’t cook very well either, they were still kinda raw. I can see where these could work for me though. I think I just need a golden beet, more chickpeas and chop everything smaller in my food processor. I must have such a small food processor, I had to chop everything separately and mix in a bowl. Try try again!
so flippin’ good. I just made them and was amazed. i’ve got to follow a gluten, soy and dairy free diet because my daughter is breastfed and allergic to these things. I have not had a single meat substitute (though I love them) in 15 months! If you have any others, I’d like to try them
This was right up there with tofurkey or gimme lean soysauges. we had ours on millet toast, daiya cheese and tomato sauce sandwhiches. love your blog, thanks!
Just made the beetballs version using the quinoa. These are SO good! They tasted a bit like a spicy italian sausage. The spices are so amazing! Thank you for the recipe!!
Made these last night and they were delicious. Thank you for another great recipe.
Looks delish, I was wondering if you could sub the mushrooms for something else??? Maybe Cauliflower? I have a strong dislike for mushrooms! Any suggestions?
I would just use a little more chickpeas, though I promise, you probably wouldn’t notice the mushrooms. They just lend a background flavor. Plus, they’re extremely good for you!
Hi,
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I want to make the beetballs for a dinner party. Is the beet raw, or cooked, when you put it in the food processor? Thank you for your help!
Kind regards,
Hi Liz–it’s raw. Just peel it and chop. Hope you enjoy it!
Never thought beets can be so versatile and be used for recipes like this. The photos of the final dishes looks good to eat and that makes me really excited here to give it a try. By the way, if porcini mushrooms are not available for some reason, what can we use as a good substitute?
Everytime I make a recipe from your site I just swear that it’s the best thing I ever had! But, this one was just the creme de la creme! So amazing! It was just delicious, easy and won my hubby over too! I didn’t even have all of the exact ingredients (I used chickpea flour instead of chickpeas, I used portabello mushrooms instead of shitake and dark soy sauce instead of liquid smoke). You really make healthy eating enjoyable! Thanks!
Nom nom nom. <3
Totally tried these last week! They were absolutely delish and even passed a fast one on my 5 year old… he had no idea!
Thanks for posting this!
Can you make the beetballs without yeast?? Thanks Christy.
Janie
Yes, they just taste a little more bland.
These beetballs were amazing! My husband and I gobbled them all up! I have to be honest I had my doubts, but I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this recipe comes together. I did however use 3 oz of fresh baby portobellos since I didn’t have any dried mushrooms, and the recipe still worked great!
Once again, one of your recipes was a hit in my omnivore household! My stepdad, steak-eater that he is, cleaned his plate. I myself appreciated the sausage taste (back in my omnivore days, I loved italian-styled chicken sausages).
Big thanks for this and all you do!
E
I should also add that my stepdad requested that the leftovers be left for him to take to lunch tomorrow.
Trust me, that’s a compliment (the committed consumer of the Standard American Diet he is).
Thanks for this wonderful recipe Susan! I made them with quinoa which worked well, but they took a bit longer to cook as they were a bit too wet. I got some out for dinner and left the rest in and after about an hour (turning half way) they had a much better consistency and held together well after the longer cooking time. Either way, really tasty!
I made the nut version of these last weekend and they were awesome. My beets may have been a little large because I ended up with a few more than 22 beetballs, but the texture was perfect – they held together wonderfully. My only warning is do not try to make 2 batches of these in a food processor at once. I thought I had a pretty large food processor, but it was so full I ended up making more of a paste with the ingredients than advised. That’ll teach me to be greedy… but they turned out great anyway and now I have a nice stash of beetballs in the freezer!
i made these this week!…i have been vegan for 2 years now and i am always looking for alternatives to processed vegan ‘meat’…i make my own seitan, i make my own TVPish product (tofu frozen, defrosted, water squished out, and dehydrated), and now i have another alternative for eat-balls….this recipe was easy to make…although beets are not my kids’ favorite, they did eat these!! my 10 yr old loved them and my 8 yr old was on the fence, but i know with younger children it’s about repeated exposure–in this case to beets…but she did eat them…and i loved the texture…thanks for giving me the idea to use the other beetballs for a pizza topping–i had a ton of them leftover, which i froze and know they will come in handy…
thank you for this recipe! tasty stuff : D
Do these freeze well? Would you recommend freezing before or after baking?
I can’t think of any reason why they wouldn’t freeze well either way. I would probably bake them first and then freeze them, so that all they need is to be defrosted and warmed up later.
This sounds fantastic!!! Nice job! I can’t WAIT to try these!
- Heather
PlantBasedDietAdventures.com
Hi – what is “rubbed” sage? I have sage growing in my garden, is that good?
Rubbed sage is sage that has been dried and then crushed to a powder. You could use chopped fresh sage, but you will probably need more (maybe 3 times more) of it.
thank you!
Just to let you know, even though I probably ate half the mixture before baking (the quinoa version), they came out really good.
I might go for falafel-type seasoning next time, just out of curiosity.
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