I’m always looking for new and creative vegetarian recipe ideas. I came across a quinoa meatball recipe that inspired this dish on the May I Have That Recipe Blog.
Stealing someone else’s great idea is part of the fun of creative cooking. Never in a million years would have come up with a cauliflower quinoa meatball, but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to try it. I also checked out the rest of this blog’s recipes. Lots of good stuff!
From there, the adaptation possibilities for the meatballs and the sauces are endless!
Worth the Work
The recipe was a bit of work the first time. But the result were amazingly delicious. It was a big hit with my friends.
The original quinoa meatball recipe involves frying the meatballs on the stove. This was messy and time consuming. It was also frustrating because the meatballs are delicate and fell apart easily while trying to cook them.
I decided to try baking them.
Baked Not Fried
Winner winner quinoa meatball dinner! So much less mess, and perfectly cooked meatballs without the grease!
I also changed the original recipe to make a lot more sauce as I didn’t have nearly enough the first time I made it. I made it a little thicker using some heavy cream, but you could use Greek yogurt instead. Just don’t add that til the end or it will split while the sauce simmers.
If you try this and love it, you might also want to check out my summer version. Click here to see the sister recipe – Baked Cauliflower Quinoa Ricotta Meatballs with Fresh Herbs.
Ingredients
Quinoa Meatballs
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups riced cauliflower
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp allspice powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (or other light flour)
Coconut Turmeric Sauce
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric root
- 2 tsp Aleppo pepper (substitute 1 tsp crushed red pepper)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 inch ginger root, grated (2 heaping tablespoons)
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 cups light coconut milk, preferably from carton
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 limes 2 for sauce, 1 cut into quarters for serving
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 cups cooked brown or basmati rice
Instructions
Prepare the Meatballs
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs together. Add the riced cauliflower, cooked quinoa and all remaining meatball ingredients. Mix well, pack down into the bottom of the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. NOTE: The meatballs will form much easier if your cauliflower is finely riced vs. being too chunky.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Use a large spoon and your hands to form meatballs. I like them to be about 3", bigger than a golfball but smaller than a tennis ball. Be delicate but make sure they are well formed. Place on a non-stick baking sheet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You should have 12-15 meatballs. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Set aside. If not using right away, let them cool completely and then refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze.
Coconut Turmeric Sauce
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add turmeric and Aleppo pepper and saute about 30 seconds until spices are fragrant. Add garlic and ginger and saute another minute. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Add the vegetable stock first to deglaze and scrape up any spices. Once combined, add coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add heavy cream and continue to simmer about 5 minutes. Sauce will thicken slightly. Add juice of 2 limes.
- Carefully add the meatballs to the sauce. Shimmy the pan around so they get fully coated. Simmer for 5-10 minutes on med-low heat. Season again with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the meatballs and sauce over cooked brown or basmati rice. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with a quarter of a lime. Each serving has about 1/2 cup rice and 3-4 meatballs.
