I love this recipe because it’s so simple and yet so delicious and full of flavours! I have used Tiba tempeh which works great in recreating that “meaty” consistency by just using plants instead! These “Neatballs” work great with a simple tomato sauce and your favourite pasta but they are also great in Buddha bowls or with whatever you fancy! 

Makes around 16 balls depending on the size 

Ingredients:

1 block of Tiba tempeh (200gr) 

1 small white onion – finely chopped 

2 garlic cloves – crushed 

100gr of chestnut mushrooms – finely sliced 

1/2 cup of cooked brown rice 

1/3 cup of oat flour 

3 tbsp of soy sauce 

2 tbsp of nutritional yeast (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste 

4 tbsp of olive oil for cooking

Serve with: your favourite tomato sauce and pasta! 

1. Add 2 tbsp of the oil to a large frying pan. Add in the chopped onion and garlic.
2. Saute the onion on a medium heat for 5-8 minutes until it starts to caramelise.
3. Add in the chopped mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes until they have shrunk in size and all the water has evaporated.
4. Crumble the Tiba block either by busing a knife or by placing it into a food processor. Blitz until you have a “mince” kind of consistently.
5. Add the minced tempeh to the pan and add the soy sauce and nutritional yeast. Cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Pour tempeh mushroom “mince” into a bowl and add the cooked brown rice and oat flour. Mix everything together until you have a fairly sticky mixture. 
7. With wet hands roll the mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball. Repeat the process until you have used up all the mixture.
8. Heat up the remaining oil and fry the tempeh balls few minutes on each sides until slightly golden brown. You might need to cook them in batches.
9. Serve them with your favourite tomato sauce and pasta. Enjoy!