Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

These meatless meatballs are awesome! They have lots of flavor and a bit of heat.

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk such as rice or soy
1 package (14 ounces) vegetarian sausage (such as LightLife Gimme Lean)
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

For Sauce:

2 tablespoons nondairy, nonhydrogenated butter (such as earth balance)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 ½ cups unsweetened nondairy milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Directions:

Soak bread crumbs in milk for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sausage, onion, garlic, salt, allspice, nutmeg, and cayenne in a large-size bowl. Add soaked bread crumbs, and mix well by hand, making sure you fully combine sausage with seasoning.

Form mixture into tiny meatballs, ¾ inch in diameter, and place on a platter. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat for 1 minute. When oil is hot, turn heat down to medium and add one-third of meatballs, and brown on all sides. Transfer to a platter lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil. In 2 more batches, brown remaining meatballs in remaining oil. And drain on paper towels.

To make sauce, heat butter, stock and milk in a saucepan over low-medium heat. In a bowl, combine flour and water, and mix into a thin paste. Add water/flour blend to saucepan and mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until mixture thickens. Season with salt.

Add all meatballs to skillet, along with sauce, cooking just until heated through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Note: The only thing that I would change is to add more flour to the sauce. I like my sauce thicker. Or make your own favorite gravy and pour over top of meatballs keeping meatballs warm in the oven.