White Bean Sage Vegan Meatballs with Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce

One of the healthiest food trends today is vegan meatballs recipes, which are savory little “meatballs” filled with beans, veggies, herbs, and whole grains baked into golden perfection and served with a flavorful sauce, as in this recipe for White Bean Sage Vegan Meatballs with Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce. Plant-based dishes like this can be the star of your plate, taking the place of less healthful animal protein choices. So, if you’re wondering what you can enjoy on a more plant-based diet, this hearty, satisfying comfort food entrée recipe is a great example.

Eating a more plant-based diet is linked with a multitude of health benefits, including lower risk of chronic diseases. By including more servings of pulses (beans, lentils, peas), whole grains (oats, quinoa, wheat), veggies (sweet potatoes, broccoli, squash), and nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios), you can fill your plate with disease-fighting nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and phytochemicals—plant compounds that act to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body which can lead to chronic disease. No wonder this plant-powered eating style is so good for you!

Step-By-Step Guide:

Wondering how to make vegan meatballs? Check out this step-by-step guide on how to make White Bean Sage Vegan Meatballs with Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce.

Check out the video for this delicious, plant-based recipe here, as well as on Instagram.

White Bean Sage Vegan Meatballs with Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce

---

(12 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...

5 from 12 reviews

• Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 10 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

These savory, delicious White Bean Sage Vegan Meatballs are filled with the goodness of beans, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, hazelnuts, and sage. Serve them as an entrée with this flavorful pomegranate mandarin sauce.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

White Bean Sage Vegan Meatballs:

• 1 small (about 5 ounces) sweet potato, chopped into chunks
• 1 small red onion, chopped in chunks
• 2 stalks celery
• 8 ounces brown mushrooms
• ½ cup hazelnuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 large sprigs fresh sage (or 2 tablespoons dried)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans white (cannellini) beans, rinsed, drained
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• ½ teaspoon celery salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 1/2–1 cup breadcrumbs
• Salt, as needed (optional)

Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce:

• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 large mandarin orange, juice and zest
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 cups pomegranate seeds (about 1 large pomegranate), may use frozen if desired

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Using a food processor with the shredding attachment, shred sweet potato, onion, celery, mushrooms, hazelnuts, garlic, and sage. (Alternatively, shred them with a box grater, or chop very finely by hand).
2. Place the drained beans in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher until smooth, with some chunks remaining.
3. Add shredded vegetables mixture to the bowl with beans.
4. Add mustard, celery salt, black pepper, soy sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice, oats, and flax seeds. Mix well, using hands, to create a smooth texture. Add enough breadcrumbs to make a soft consistency that holds a shape. Season with salt as desired (optional).
5. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow easy handling of mixture.
6. Preheat oven to 375 F.
7. Using a spoon and clean hands, shape mixture into about 40 golf ball-sized meatballs, pressing firmly together.
8. Place veggie meatballs on baking sheets sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
9. Bake at 375 F for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
10. To make pomegranate mandarin sauce, whisk together pomegranate juice, mandarin orange juice, maple syrup, cardamom, and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until bubbly and thickened. Stir in mandarin orange zest and pomegranate seeds (arils) and chill until serving time.
11. Serve vegan meatballs with sauce immediately. Makes 10 servings (4 meatballs + 1/4 cup sauce each).

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4 meatballs + ¼ cup sauce each
• Calories: 257
• Sugar: 11 g
• Sodium: 117 mg
• Fat: 6 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrates: 43 g
• Fiber: 8 g
• Protein: 10 g

For other vegan meatball recipes, try some of my favorites:

Golden Beet Vegan Meatballs with Almond Sage Cranberry Crema
Greek Veggie Balls with Tahini Lemon Sauce

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, click here.