Vegan Swedish Meatballs And Gravy…Oh My!

Ever tasted plant-based vegan Swedish Meatballs and Gravy? Join host Jane Velez-Mitchell and Chef Linda Soper-Kolton from the Compassionate Kitchen at the famous Catskills Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties, New York.  She will be showing us how to make these amazing meatless-meatballs, perfect for the Fall!  Let’s check out how it’s done…

The Vegan Swedish Meatball Chef…Full Of Compassion!

As a vegan chef, culinary instructor, and certified health coach, Linda brings enthusiasm, experience, and relatable style to her cooking classes, coaching, and catering. She knows food—and people—and is a valuable resource for audiences large and small. A graduate of New York’s Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, lead author of Compassionate Cuisine:  125 Plant-Based Recipes From Our Vegan Kitchen, and director of the culinary program by the same name at Catskill Animal Sanctuary, Linda speaks with passion and expertise about:

-The joy of cooking and eating compassionately

-Nutritional Benefits of a plant-based diet

-Overcoming challenges in the kitchen

-Life after cheese

Catskill Animal Sanctuary.   

“Catskill Animal Sanctuary is a 150-acre refuge in New York’s Hudson Valley for 11 species of farmed animals rescued from cruelty, neglect, and abandonment. Over the years, thousands have come to this place of profound peace. They continue to come — sometimes one needy soul, sometimes a flock of 100 or more at a time. It is our privilege to help each and every rescued animal understand what love feels like. If we’ve learned anything from them, it’s the life-altering truth that in the ways that matter, we are all the same. Animals are as individual as us, want their lives as much as we want ours, and experience the same emotions as we do. Pain, suffering, and fear feel no different from a pig than they do a human being. This belief in our shared “sameness” is the first driver of all that we do. The second is our choice to believe in humanity’s goodness. Each year, thousands of visitors come to meet the animals and learn about the impact of their diet on animals, their health, and our ailing planet.

We watch as profound shifts occur in the disarming moments shared by humans and animals. We offer support through our online vegan culinary classes, Compassionate Cuisine cookbook and recipes, customized digital Sanctuary tours through CAS: Live, engaging online educational programs for kids, and the inspirational writing and speaking of our founder Kathy.”

Now Back To The Vegan Swedish Meatballs!

These vegan Swedish Meatballs and Gravy look so amazing!  You can have hearty and healthy meatballs full of flavor and texture, without the cruelty of meat-based meatballs!  I hope you will give these a try at home, the recipe is below.  I love me some good plant-based meatballs on a chilly Fall day…make them Swedish and dripping in gravy and I am in heaven!  So these are definitely going on my list of meals to cook this Fall.  Let’s see how Linda’s dish turned out.  Hint Hint….it looks mouth-watering!

See Also

At Home With The Jenners on UnchainedTV

Vegan Swedish Meatballs and Gravy

There are so many ways to make a vegan meatball. Lentils, mushrooms, nuts, seitan, or tempeh–any of these ingredients make for a delicious and healthy, meat-free meatball. In this recipe, we use eggplant and white beans to introduce yet another way to enjoy a more compassionate version of a classic favorite. The distinction between Italian-style and Swedish meatballs is mainly in the sauce. Italian meatballs are served in a tangy tomato sauce whereas Swedish meatballs are finished in a rich gravy made with sour cream or plain yogurt. The Swedish version tends to be a milder, gentler comfort dish, perfect to cozy up to on a cold winter’s night. As the Swedes say, there’s no bad weather, just bad clothes, so as a nod to their origin, our Swedish meatballs have a heavy coat of breadcrumbs. We like the way it helps them stand up to the luscious, rich gravy–and maybe it keeps them warm, too. To serve, you can choose to go with classic pairings like mashed potatoes or noodles, or try a lighter approach and use spiralized zucchini (raw or quickly satuéed in a pan), a great idea from one of our recipe testers. This recipe makes a large batch, perfect for a gathering of friends and family.

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Course Appetizers, Main Courses

Cuisine Swedish

Ingredients

  

• Swedish Meatballs:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant about 1 pound, peeled and cut into
• 1- inch cubes
• 1 small onion finely chopped, about 1/2 cup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large garlic cloves minced, about 1 tablespoon
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 cups plain or panko breadcrumbs divided
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 15.5-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
• Gravy:
• ¼ cup vegan butter or olive oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons Dijon or yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper or substitute ground black
• pepper
• 1 cup unsweetened plain non-dairy yogurt

Instructions

 

• FOR SERVING THE MEATBALLS: Place on cooked noodles or mashed potatoes and Chop parsley, for garnish
• To make the meatballs, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant, onion, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the eggplant is translucent and very soft. Add garlic in the last couple of minutes of cooking. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. If you have a small food processor, this next step should be done equally in two batches. In a food processor, pulse together the oats, 1 cup of breadcrumbs, walnuts, salt, allspice, nutmeg, and black pepper. Add the white beans and process until combined. Transfer the eggplant to the food processor, scraping in any brown bits in the pan, and pulse until everything is combined. The mixture should be fairly well-blended but retain some texture. Set the pan aside for making the gravy.
• Spread two tablespoons of oil on the parchment. Place the remaining 1 cup of breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Using a tablespoon or portion scoop, shape the mixture into balls approximately 1 ½ inches in diameter. Roll each one in breadcrumbs and arrange on the baking tray. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the meatballs are firm and crispy on the outside.
• While the meatballs are baking, make the gravy. Melt the butter in the eggplant pan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the broth and stir until smooth and thickened. Stir in nutritional yeast, tamari, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper, and salt. Gently simmer over medium-low heat until the gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in yogurt.
• Taste and add more salt if you like. Transfer meatballs to the pan and spoon gravy over them. Cook gently for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with parsley and serve with your favorite noodles or mashed potatoes.
• Freeze extra meatballs and sauce separately for up to 3 months.

Notes

Allergen Notes: Contains nuts, soy and ingredients that may contain gluten

Special Equipment: Food processor

Keyword vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Wow, What A Meal!

This was an incredible episode of #LunchBreakLIVE with Chef Linda from Catskill Animal Sanctuary.   The vegan Swedish Meatballs and Gravy she made look so incredibly delicious, dripping in gravy and topped on some pasta.  Mmmm Mmmm Good!  If you are looking for other awesome vegan recipes you are in luck…we have a ton for you to choose from so be sure to check those out.  I look forward to meeting you here again soon for another delicious recipe.  Until next time…