If you would like to find a low calorie and guilt free alternative to meatballs, I’ve got a real treat for you!

One of the most shocking things I’ve found since going vegetarian and then vegan is that I really don’t miss anything. Seriously.

I thought for sure that giving up cheese was going to be a big deal for me, but honestly it wasn’t an issue at all. I am constantly making nut cheeses and have found that they are positively addicting. (Besides after watching Earthlings cheese has lost its appeal.)

And though I’ve always been a huge fan of meatballs, I don’t miss them a bit thanks to these amazing meat-less balls!  These are great to make “meatball” subs, spaghetti, crumbled on pizza, added to a salad or even just eaten alone.  I’ve even been known to eat one cold straight from the fridge on occasion.  (Though they are determinately better with sauce)

Now a couple of notes about these. They do tend to be on the dry side and if you think this will bother you feel free to add in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. I have been trying to watch the amount of oil in my diet and I enjoy them just fine without the oil.

Secondly, I’ve used vital wheat gluten here because the boys really love the texture it gives. I love it too but since I know a lot of you are gluten free (something I will be testing in January) I want to note that I have tested this recipe without the wheat gluten and it does work.

The inspiration for this recipe came from the amazing SpaBettie who is a constant source of inspiration in my kitchen.