Chef John’s Meatless Meatballs

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Description

I made this recipe to celebrate Earth Day. Thanks to a thorough browning, mushrooms provide more than enough savoriness. The garlic, cheese, and parsley do the rest. What really blew me away was how close the texture was to actual meatballs. They are officially approved for use on spaghetti!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound fresh white mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1 ounce very finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • ½ cup bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, packed
  • 2 eggs, divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 1 pinch dried oregano
  • 3 cups pasta sauce
  • 1 tablespoon very finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to the hot oil
  2. sprinkle with salt
  3. and cook and stir until liquid from mushrooms has evaporated. Stir butter into mushrooms
  4. reduce heat to medium
  5. and cook and stir mushrooms until golden brown
  6. about 5 minutes.
  7. Stir onion into mushrooms and cook
  8. stirring often
  9. until onion is translucent
  10. 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir garlic into mushroom mixture until fragrant
  11. about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.
  12. Mix oats into mushroom mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently stir 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into the mixture. Add bread crumbs
  13. 1/4 cup parsley
  14. and 1 egg; season with salt
  15. black pepper
  16. cayenne pepper
  17. and oregano. Mix together with a fork until crumbly. Stir in remaining 1 egg. The mixture should hold together when pressed.
  18. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours. For best flavor and texture
  19. refrigerate overnight.
  20. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
  21. Form mixture into small meatballs using a 2-tablespoon scoop. Roll meatballs lightly between your hands until smooth
  22. if desired; arrange meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
  23. Bake in the preheated oven until meatballs are lightly golden brown
  24. 12 to 15 minutes.
  25. Bring pasta sauce to a boil in a large saucepan; reduce heat to low. Gently stir meatballs into sauce until coated. Simmer meatballs in sauce until cooked through
  26. 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 1 tablespoon parsley.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 5 hrs 30 mins

Servings: 4

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