Tuscan TVP Meatballs
Today on Gluten Free Aussie Vegan I’m going to share with you a recipe for ‘meatballs’. What is the main ingredient that I am going to be using? It’s Textured Vegetable Protein aka TVP. TVP is where the protein has been extracted from soybeans and it looks like dried flakes which when you add liquid to them they readily absorb the liquid and swell to resemble and taste like something similar to ground beef.
I discovered this a few months ago and have loved experimenting with it. TVP itself doesn’t have a strong flavour in my opinion. So what I love most about TVP compared to other ‘minced beef’ alternatives is that it has a springy texture which resembles ground beef a lot more than other alternatives which tend to be softer and sludgy. I also love that you can add a variety of liquids and spices and the TVP will soak it up and the flavour adapts to whatever has been added.
At first, I just used it for spaghetti bolognese…but then as I got to thinking…I suddenly thought like HMMM I wonder if I could make meatballs and would the TVP mimic that slightly springy texture that I associate with beef meatballs. (I’m sounding very technical aren’t I lol)
So herewith I will share a recipe for TVP meatballs that I then baked in a pre-made packaged Tuscan sauce over a bed of pasta.
The verdict? I loved it and will definitely be making it again. So if you’ve been missing the taste of meatballs then give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. I also intend to try other TVP meatball recipes so keep a lookout for those.
RECIPE:
Tuscan TVP Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
- 7-8 Cups Vegetable Stock
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Italian Herb Mix
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce or Soy Sauce (check labels to ensure Vegan and Gluten Free)
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/4 Cup Plain Gluten Free Flour or breadcrumbs
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Tuscan Sauce Base packet mix
- 400 gms Tin of crushed Tomatoes
- Pasta – Gluten Free
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c
- Bring the veggie broth to a boil and then pour it over the TVP in a bowl and give it a quick mix before allowing the TVP to absorb the broth fully for about 5-10 minutes;
- Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix to combine until it resembles a dough like consistency. Feel free to add a little more flour to help combine.
- Shape into meatballs and place them on an baking paper wrapped oven tray;
- Cook for around 15 minutes. While it’s cooking grab out an oven safe dish and pour the tuscan sauce base into the bowl and also empty the tin of chopped tomatoes and mix.
- Then take the meatballs out of the oven. You will see they are pretty much cooked. Slide the meatballs into the prepared tuscan base dish and put in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes or until sauce has heated up.
- While the meatballs are in the oven, cook the pasta as per instructions on packet.
- Now ready to serve up and devour. Enjoy
