Vegan Meatball Stew with Ikea-Inspired Vegan Meatballs
This vegan meatball stew recipe has the perfect, protein-rich “meatballs”, made with peas, chickpeas and spices, and a delicious, semi-sweet and flavorful red sauce. Give it a try!
Do you know those awesome vegan meatballs Ikea sells? I absolutely love them! Each time I go to Ikea, I buy one large pack of frozen, vegan meatballs. They are so versatile! They’re delicious with mashed potatoes and gravy, too!
Because I really miss them and don’t go to Ikea that often, I decided to make my own version of Ikea-inspired vegan meatballs. 🙂
I used chickpeas, green peas, corn, awesome spices and the result exceeded my expectations! They are pretty much the same as their original counterparts! Love them! I decided to add them in a delicious vegan meatball stew, made with tomatoes, bell peppers and for some splash of color, green peas.
This takes a bit longer to make (about an hour or so) but it’s definitely worth it! It makes around 6 servings, maybe more. It’s perfect for families because it’s budget friendly!
Also, you can make more vegan meatballs at once and freeze them. That’s what I usually do. I freeze them individually on a tray, after baking then put the balls in Ziplocs. Then, every time I crave vegan meatballs I just take a bag out of the freezer and reheat them. Delicious every time! 🙂
Vegan Meatball Stew
Ingredients
Vegan "Meatballs":
- 400 g chickpeas canned, drained
- 200 g green peas if you use frozen peas, let them thaw first
- 100 g sweet corn
- 1 onion diced
- 5 Tbsps dill chopped
- 5 Tbsps parsley chopped
- 3 Tbsps psyllium husks
- 3 Tbsps nutritional yeast
- 100 g chickpea flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ⅓ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Sauce:
- 50 g tomato paste
- 400 g green peas
- 400 g tomatoes canned, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup bell peppers sliced: I used a frozen mix
- 2 Tbsps oil
- 1 onion chopped
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp oregano
- water
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the vegan meatballs in a food processor and blend until a paste is formed. You can use a vertical blender as well. The paste doesn’t have to be smooth. You can leave some whole peas and half mashed chickpeas and corn in there too. It gives the meatballs a nicer texture.
- Place it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the sauce. Add oil in a large pan. Add onion and saute it for 3-4 minutes.
- Add sliced bell peppers and peas. Pour in some water, about 1/2 cup. Let them cook with a lid on for 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 10 more minutes.
- Add more water if the sauce is too thick.
- Take the meatballs composition out of the fridge. Shape the meatballs and place them on a greased oven tray. Spray them with some oil, or just grease your hands and cover teach ball in a little bit of oil.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 400F.
- When ready, just add them to the sauce.
If you make this, please leave a review and rating if you liked this recipe! ★★★★★
This is something new for me. It looks very delicious and nutritious. I can’t wait to try it.
Thank you!
I was very intrigued by this recipe as Ikea meatballs are some of my favorite in the world. Turns out they’re even better. I’m amazed 🙂 Thanks!
You’re welcome! 😀
Hi! Wat exactly is nutritional yeast: is dry or fresh yeast? I always use Brugemann or Dove (has the gluten free symbol). Thanks.
Hi, Gia! Nutritional yeast is inactive yeast. Here’s more about it http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/10/what-the-heck-is-nutritional-yeast.html Don’t mistake it for the yeast you use when baking. It’s a totally different thing. 🙂 In this recipe, it adds a great taste, but just skip it if you can’t find any.
Hi Ruxandra!
This dish looks so tasty! Can wait to make it for my baby 🙂
I was wondering re the “cup” measurements; are they referring to the US measurement unit or to the usual, coffee cup?
Thanks!
Thank you! 😀 These are the US measurements.
I’ve just found your website and am SO KEEN to try some amazing looking recipes 🙂
Do you know if I could sub anything for psyllium husks in this recipe???
I have chia seeds I could grind but I’m not sure of the function of psyllium here – is it a binder?
Thanks!
Hi Samantha! Thank you! I’m so happy to hear you like my recipes. 😀 Ground chia seeds or ground flax work just as well. 😀 I use psyllium as a binder because it’s cheap and completely tasteless, so it is very versatile. Plus I don’t have to grind it. 🙂
Hello,
how can I subsitute nutritional yeast and chickpea flour?
Thanks 🙂
You can skip nutritional yeast and add a little bit more flour. You can use rice flour, or maybe eve regular wheat flour, but if you use wheat flour, use a bit less. It has gluten in it so it will be stickier.