There’s nothing quite so quintessentially Swedish than a dish of savory meatballs, which is served at every holiday and celebration, and is a common feature in home kitchens and restaurants across the country. This classic food tradition was the inspiration for my own plant-based version of Swedish Meatballs. Given that my husband is Swedish and I’ve spent a great deal of time in this country, I am familiar with many of the treasured dishes of Scandinavia. I have made plant-based versions of so many of them. And at last, I’ve perfected vegan easy Swedish meatballs!
This recipe for Vegan Swedish Meatballs with Sauce has been honed a dozen times in my own kitchen before I released it. It is quite simple, featuring lentils, walnuts, onions, garlic, parsley, flax seeds, and oats. Of course with a creamy vegan Swedish meatballs sauce made with mushrooms and plant-based milk. You can serve this dish at your holiday table, as well as simple Sunday night dinners or potlucks. The leftovers are great, too! Traditionally you would serve Swedish meatballs with potatoes (boiled or mashed) and a side of lingonberry preserves. If you want to learn more about the food traditions of Sweden, check out this blog.
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Vegan Swedish Meatballs with Sauce
Author:The Plant-Powered Dietitian
Total Time:45 minutes
Yield:8 servings 1x
Diet:Vegan
Description
This classic easy Vegan Swedish Meatballs with Sauce recipe features lentils, walnuts, onions, flax seeds, oats, and parsley–served in a creamy mushroom sauce. It’s inspired by my own time spent in Scandinavia.
Swedish Meatballs:
Swedish Meatballs Sauce:
On the Side:
Instructions
To make Vegan Swedish Meatballs: Cook lentils in broth for 15 minutes, drain any extra liquid well using a colander.
Place walnuts, onion, garlic, parsley, and flax seeds in a food processor and process until finely chopped but not liquified. Add cooked lentils, soy sauce, black pepper, and oats to the processor and process just until smooth and well combined.
Transfer to a bowl and add breadcrumbs, one tablespoon at a time until you achieve the desired texture. You should create a smooth, soft mixture that is slightly sticky to the touch, yet still creates a small round shape when formed with your hands. Don’t use too much of the breadcrumbs, as meatballs will be too dry when cooked.
If desired, you can chill the mixture for 30 minutes to make handling it easier.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Form the mixture into small balls (about 1 ½ inches in diameter) with your hands and place on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake at 375 for about 25-30 min, until golden brown on surface and tender in center.
While meatballs are baking, make sauce: Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan.Add mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.
Whip together plant-based milk, flour, salt (optional), black pepper, and soy sauce with a whisk in a small bowl until mixture is smooth with no lumps.
Pour mixture into saucepan and cook for about 8 minutes, until bubbly and thick.
Serve meatballs with mushroom sauce and lingonberry preserves (if desired). Makes 8 servings (4 meatballs + 5 tablespoons sauce + 2 tablespoons lingonberry preserves per serving).
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Category:Entree
Cuisine:American, Swedish
Nutrition
Serving Size:1 serving
Calories:285
Sugar:3 g
Sodium:345 mg
Fat:18 g
Saturated Fat:2 g
Carbohydrates:33 g
Fiber:8 g
Protein:15 g
Keywords: swedish meatballs, vegan swedish meatballs, swedish meatballs sauce, easy swedish meatballs, crockpot swedish meatballs
For more Swedish recipes, check out some of my favorites:
Swedish Saffron Rolls Classic Swedish Pea Soup Peter’s Pepparkakor Jansson’s Temptation Swedish Beet Potato Apple Salad
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