Vego No-Meat Balls with Pesto Rice

Serves 4 / makes 16 balls

Time 30 minutes plus setting

Ingredients

No Meatballs

280g silken tofu

2½ cups (60g) baby spinach

280g cooked lentils

1½ tbsp chopped parsley

1½ tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp dried basil leaves

1½ small cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1½ cups (200g) cooked quinoa

1 cup almond meal 

1 tbsp (20ml) extra virgin olive oil

Pesto Rice

1⅓ cups (280g) white rice 

½ cup fresh pesto

To Serve

400ml tomato passata

½ cup grated parmesan

Sea salt and black pepper

Method

For the no meatballs, place tofu, baby spinach, cooked lentils, oregano, parsley, basil, garlic and nutritional yeast in a food processor and blitz. Transfer to a bowl, add cooked quinoa, almond meal and extra virgin olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper and mix to combine. It’s important not to put the quinoa and almond meal in the food processor or the balls won’t bind.  

Place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes. Once set, measure 1/4 cup of the mixture, roll gently into balls and place on a lined baking tray. Spray with extra virgin olive oil and place in the oven at 180°C to bake for 20-25 minutes.

For the pesto rice, rinse rice in a sieve. Then place in a saucepan or rice cooker. Add 3 cups water and cook until tender. Whilst rice is still hot, stir through pesto.

To serve, divide pesto rice between bowls, toss (no) meatballs with tomato passata and place on the top of the pesto rice. Sprinkle it with parmesan, give it a good grind of black pepper and enjoy.