Italian TVP Meatballs Recipe (Vegan) (2024)

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This Italian TVP Meatballs recipe is made with textured vegetable protein are ready for spaghetti, a meatball sandwich, or served as a party appetizer! Made with TVP, flavorful seasonings, and great spices these meatballs are perfect for meal prep, batch cooking, or to make ahead.

These easy plant-based meatballs are high in protein, vegan, and are meat and dairy free. Serve these vegan meatballs alongside pressure cooker penne or creamy red pepper pasta and with a slice of oven baked vegan garlic bread.

Italian TVP Meatballs Recipe (Vegan) (1)

Add some major flavor to your next spaghetti night with these delicious TVP meatballs. These meatballs are made with Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) which has a similar texture to ground beef.

I have had a lifelong love of spaghetti and meatballs! I have my Italian mother to thank for that one. To this day there is nothing I love more than a huge messy bowl of pasta swimming in my White Wine Tomato Sauce… topped with giant and flavorful TVP meatballs!

This TVP Meatballs Recipe Is:

Hearty
Protein-Packed
Flavorful
Herby
Vegan
Gluten-Free
Great with Spaghetti or Pasta!

Italian TVP Meatballs Recipe (Vegan) (2)

One of the BEST Pantry Staple Vegan High Protein Recipes

These TVP textured vegetable protein meatballs recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal! It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards. You probably already have a lot of these ingredients on hand! Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious meals using a few staples you can rotate.

I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep on hand. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple recipes on TheHerbeevore.com here. By stocking up on whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!

Italian TVP Meatballs Recipe (Vegan) (3)

This recipe is perfect for meal prepping- When I make these I try to make a lot of extras so I can enjoy them throughout the week! For lunch or dinner (or both some days, don’t judge) spaghetti and meatballs are definitely on the menu with this super easy recipe.

What’s In Textured Vegetable Protein Meatballs?

See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein): I love stocking my pantry with TVP! TVP is made from soy protein and has the exact same texture as ground beef… making it really versatile to use in place of real meat. We use TVP in soups and stews, for taco filling, and in lasagnas. TVP is a great pantry-staple protein, and it lasts a long time. We always keep a few bags of this stuff on hand.
Italian Seasonings: one of my favorite spice blends, I add a pre-mixed Italian seasoning to my soups, stews, and pasta sauces. You can make your own Italian seasoning blend with oregano, parsley, thyme, basil, rosemary, and garlic. I like to use this organic Italian seasoning blend which has the right amounts of everything.
Nutritional Yeast:not to be confused with bread baking yeast,nutritional yeast has a cheesy nutty umami flavor! Also great in soups and sauces of all kinds.
Bread Crumbs – Normally I just use some crusty bread for the breadcrumbs, but if you are looking for a nice gluten free variety, these GF Italian Breadcrumbs would be your best bet!
Salt and pepper to taste – Some pasta sauces can be quite salty so I wanted to keep these meatballs fairly low sodium. Add the amount of salt and pepper that you’d like – but if you are planning to use a salty sauce, then I would recommend cutting back.

Italian TVP Meatballs Recipe (Vegan) (4)

A Sheet Pan TVP Meatball Recipe For the Win!

These vegan TVP meatballs make the perfect sheet pan dinner! I love a good sheet pan meal, especially during these fall months when the weather starts to turn cooler. Cooking on a sheet pan is one of my favorite ways to get a meal on the table fast!

All the food gets cooked on a single pan, which makes cleaning up a breeze. And the oven does all the work for you, so you can focus on other kitchen prep while the food cooks. Sheet pan meals are awesome for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – check out my link here to see other sheet pan meals that are ready in no time!

What Do I Serve with These Vegan Italian Meatballs?

White Wine Tomato Sauce
Cheesy Eggplant Bake (Vegetarian, Keto)
Slow Cooker Summer Ratatouille
Sheet Pan Pasta Bake with Fresh Mozzarella and Lemon

As always, if you make this vegan and TVP Meatballs recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

Italian TVP Meatballs

Kelly Jensen

This Italian TVP Meatballs recipe is made with textured vegetable protein are ready for spaghetti, a meatball sandwich, or served as a party appetizer! Made with TVP, flavorful seasonings, and great spices these meatballs are perfect for meal prep, batch cooking, or to make ahead. These easy plant-based meatballs are high in protein, vegan, and are meat and dairy free. Serve these vegan meatballs alongside pressure cooker penne or creamy red pepper pasta and with a slice of oven baked vegan garlic bread.

4.91 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Pin

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

1 cup Textured Vegetable Protein TVP
1 cup Vegetable Stock
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasonings oregano, basil, parsley
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce make sure GF or tamari
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup breadcrumbs use gluten free, if needed
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add the TVP into the pot, stir, and let sit for 10 minutes while the TVP absorbs the broth.
In a large bowl, add the TVP and the rest of the ingredients. Knead until they form a dough.
Form the mixture into small 2 inch meatballs.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and cook the meatballs for 20 minutes.
Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet fry the meatballs for 7-8 minutes until they brown and begin to crisp.
Serve over spaghetti with homemade marinara, on a sub sandwich, or use as a co*cktail party appetizer!

Nutrition

Calories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 9gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 242mgPotassium: 85mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 12IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 2mg

Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a rating and comment below, let us know what you loved about it!

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Herbeevore and our beehives!

About the Author: Kelly Jensen

Kelly Jensen has 7 years experience as a food blogger, freelance recipe developer, content creator, beekeeper, and loves cooking everything she can from scratch.

View all post by Kelly Jensen | Website

Italian TVP Meatballs Recipe (Vegan) (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of TVP to beef? ›

To replace 1 lb of ground meat: use 1/3 lb of TVP and 1 1/3 cups of boiling water or broth. Place dry TVP in a bowl and pour boiling water or broth over the granules. Stir and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

How do you keep vegetable meatballs from falling apart? ›

Roll your meatballs in flour

Roll the finished meatballs in plain flour before frying. This is, hands down, one of the easiest ways I've discovered to prevent meatballs from falling apart when cooking.

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Why do my homemade meatballs fall apart? ›

But too much bread crumbs make them too loose, and not enough bread crumbs won't help them hold together either. Similar issues can be caused by eggs: Too many eggs, and the meatballs will be too soggy.

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Is TVP healthy? ›

In short, the answer is yes. While TVP is a processed food, it's derived from a healthy ingredient and provides a complete source of plant-based protein essential to one's health. That being said, like anything, TVP should be enjoyed in moderation. Additionally, it should not be your only source of protein.

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How much does 1 cup of TVP make? ›

A: The ratio for TVP is 1 cup TVP to 1 cup water which equals about 1 pound of meat, and it is not flavored.

What happens if you put too much breadcrumbs in meatballs? ›

Using the wrong amount of bread crumbs (or flour)

Bread crumbs are another popular binder for meatballs that can become problematic if used incorrectly. Adding too many bread crumbs to the mix will cause your meatballs to become loose and fall apart. The same applies to flour.

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Why add bread crumbs to meatballs? ›

Filler ingredients like breadcrumbs or flour are important too because they stop the meatballs becoming dry. The breadcrumbs absorb the juices from the meat as it cooks, trapping them within the meatball. Again quantity is important here; too much and your meatball will be more like stuffing or a dumpling.

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What are the downsides of TVP? ›

What are the disadvantages of TVP? The main disadvantages of including this product in your diet include: Difficulty digesting soy properly — When soy is not fermented (soaked and sprouted), it can be hard to break down due to antinutrients it contains, which block some of its minerals from being absorbed.

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Does TVP raise blood sugar? ›

A hundred grams of TVP has 17.5 grams of fiber. Moreover, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health notes that fiber promotes healthy blood sugar levels and improves digestion.

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Can you eat TVP without cooking it? ›

Here's some things I learned while cooking, eating, and playing with TVP: You can eat it 'raw,' it's chewy but not tough like dehydrated chicken. It's pretty bland though.

What is the ratio for TVP in cooking? ›

Measure a 1:1 ratio of TVP and water and pour the TVP into the water. Allow the TVP to soak in the water for roughly 20 minutes allowing the TVP to absorb the water and become moist and fluffy.

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What is the perfect ground beef ratio? ›

“Hopefully it's only an occasional treat, so you may as well commit to making it the best-tasting version possible.” She recommends ground beef that's either an 80/20 or 85/15 ratio for the juiciest and tastiest burger, and if you can spring for the cost, 100% grass-fed beef is a healthier option.

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What percentage of protein is in TVP? ›

As much as 50% protein when dry, TVP can be rehydrated at a 2:1 ratio, which drops the percentage of protein to an approximation of ground meat at 16%.

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