Meatless Meatball Sliders

I’m not sure what the rule is when something that traditionally has meat, and has meat in the name, is changed to not include meat….I mean, what do you call it, then?  Can one call something that doesn’t have meat “meatballs”?  And, if not, what does one call them then, to impart the gist?

And these are the thoughts of a typical Saturday night.  I think we will chalk it up to first world problems.  Okay by you?

In the meantime, enjoy these meatless meatball sliders that are meatballs which don’t have any meat.

Meatless Meatball Sliders

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Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine: Comfort Food, Game Day, Italian, Pasta, Sandwiches

Recipe Type: 90/10 1-2-3 Eat, 90/10 Kid Friendly, 90/10 Regular, 90/10 Vegetarian

Author: Heidi Boortz

Servings : 6

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Ingredients

Meatless Meatballs

• 2 slices 100% Whole Grain Bread no high fructose corn syrup
• 1/4 cup yellow onion finely diced
• 1 can black beans rinsed, drained, and mashed
• 12 oz vegan sausage no sugar listed in ingredients, see notes
• 2 egg
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp bottled minced garlic
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 24 oz marinara no sugar listed in ingredients
• 3/4 cup mozzarella grated

Slider Buns

• 1 cups milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 egg
• 5 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour pastry preferred
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder

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Instructions

Meatless Meatballs

• Add bread to a food processor. Process into crumbs. Add crumbs to a medium mixing bowl. Add onion and mashed beans. Set aside.
• Add sausages to food processor. Process until crumbly. Add sausage crumbles, eggs, parsley, garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper to breadcrumb mixture. Gently stir well, but do not overmix.
• Heat oil in a large skillet. Working with about 1/4 cup mixture at a time, form mixture, gently shaping into a ball. Add ball to oil. Repeat with remaining mixture. Cook 2 minutes, then rotate. Repeat until all sides are browned. Pour marinara over meatless meatballs. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve in sandwiches or with pasta or zoodles.
• Place one meatball on each bottom half of buns. Spoon additional sauce over meatballs, if desired. Sprinkle mozzarella over meatballs. Top with bun tops. Return to oven for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.

Slider Buns

• Add warm water, warm milk, 1/2 c. softened butter, honey, and eggs to a bowl of a stand mixer (see notes if you don't have a stand mixer). Add 5 c. flour. Add salt to the side of the bowl. Add yeast to the center of the flour.
• Affix mixer with dough hook. Mix on speed 1 for 5-7 minutes or until dough ball forms and cleans the sides of the bowl. Note: add more flour, 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, if the dough is too sticky and doesn’t form a ball. 
 Do not remove dough from bowl.
• Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and allow to rise 45 minutes. Turn mixer to speed 1 again just to punch the dough down (about 10 seconds).
• Turn dough out onto a cutting surface. Divide dough in half. Reserve half for another use (wrap in plastic wrap, then place in zip top bag, and freeze.) Divide remaining half of dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and place in a greased 13X9 pan. Cover again with towel. Let rise 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350. Bake buns 20-25 minutes at 350 or until golden. Brush buns with remaining 1 Tbsp. melted butter and dust with garlic powder. Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing. Slice in half with serrated or bread knife.

Notes

We used "Field Roast" brand meatless italian sausage for testing purposes.

To mix by hand, add warm water, warm milk, 1/2 cup softened butter, honey, and eggs to a large bowl. Mix well. Add all dry ingredients except yeast and salt to another bowl. Stir well to combine. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add salt to the side, and yeast to the center. Mix well with a wooden spoon until it gets too hard to mix. Then you can mix it with your hands until a dough ball is formed or almost formed. Then turn out the dough ball onto a lightly floured surface and continue kneading with your hands for about 10 minutes. Proceed as directed.

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