Crispy Sheet Pan Meatballs with Salsa Verde Sauce

 If you're a vegetarian, imagine the surprise on people's faces when you serve flavorful meatballs as an appetizer at your next event. You can do exactly that thanks to the availability of plant-based ground meat. Maybe you think that's unlikely because you've had "veggie" meat products in the past and not been impressed. Well that's understandable, because the tempeh or tofu meat substitutes of past were a far cry from the real thing. But the latest wave of plant-based meat is engineered to closely replicate the taste and texture of meat. As you will see, some meat eaters can't tell the difference. 

Welcome to the expanding world of plant-based meat. The two big companies are Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods but others are also trying to break into the market. We've tried both and prefer the flavor and texture of Beyond--but that's our personal preference. 

At a dinner party a few years ago, I was tasked with bringing an appetizer. During some internet searching, I discovered this Bon Appetit web site (lots of great ideas to explore) and decided to try the meatball recipe and it was a hit (I used beef). Since then, I've made it more than once and it's always well-received. The flavorful salsa verde sauce is the secret magic. This is a versatile sauce that can be used for a variety of purposes. I have topped roasted salmon fillets with it. Drizzle it over rice or a grain side. You will likely have some leftover sauce so keep it.

Meanwhile the plant-based meat market has been spreading and evolving. At first, the two big companies started with burgers. These are now available in most supermarkets. But breakfast sausage and dinner sausages soon followed. Beyond Meat recently teamed up with KFC to offer Beyond Chicken on their menu. More recently, ground meat was an option and it's available in convenient one-pound packages.  

Once the ground meat came on the market, I thought of the meatball recipe that I had made before and wondered how it would taste with plant-based ground beef. So I did a test run and was very happy with it. Then I made two batches--one beef and one Beyond beef--and served them both (on separate plates) to a dozen meat-eating friends. I said that they were the same recipe but one had a variation. They wanted to know what the variation was but I told them I wanted them to identify their favorite first. Most said they both were equally good but some said they preferred the Beyond version. Then I told them the difference between to the two plates of meatballs. 

So it doesn't matter if you eat meat or not, these are tasty meatballs that you can serve to your friends and family. This works with beef or plant-based ground beef. Your choice. 

Crispy Sheet Pan Meatballs with Salsa Verde Sauce

Ingredients:

• Garlic - 4 cloves peeled, divided
• Parsley leaves - 2 cups packed (you can also add in basil, cilantro, or dill)
• Capers - 3 tbsp., drained
• Pistachios - 1/4 cup (walnuts, peanuts, pine nuts can also be used)
• Egg - 1 large
• Paprika - 1 tbsp.
• Salt - 1 tsp.
• Olive oil - 3 tbsp. plus 1/2 cup, divided
• Panko bread crumbs - 1 cup
• Plant-based ground meat - 1 lb.
• Lemon - 1
• Black pepper - to taste 

Instructions:

1. If the ground meat is frozen, let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Get out one large bowl (for the meatball mixture) and one medium bowl (for the salsa verde). Mince two cloves garlic into each bowl.
4. Finely chop the parsley and place half into each bowl. 
5. Finely chop the capers and place two thirds into the large bowl and the remaining one third into the small bowl.
6. Place the pistachios in a seal-able sandwich bag. Seal it getting out as much air as possible. Lay it flat on a cutting board and use the handle end of a large knife the break up the nuts into smaller chunks. Pour them out on the cutting board and continue to chop if needed. Add the chopped nuts to the large bowl.
7. To the large bowl, add salt, paprika, 1 tbsp. olive oil, and crack open the egg on the mixture. Whisk to mix ingredients. 
8. Add panko bread crumbs to the large bowl and mix it in.
9. Wash your hands and add the ground meat to the large bowl. With your hands, gently mix together the ingredients until incorporated.
10. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Drizzle about 2 tbsp. on the pan and use a brush or your finger to spread the oil around the pan.
11. Roll mixture into golf ball-sized balls and place on sheet pan about one inch from each other. You want 20-24 meatballs.
12. Place in the oven and cook for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and roll balls over. Return to oven and cook another 6-7 minutes.
    
    
    
13. As the meat cooks, finish preparing the salsa verde. Zest the lemon and add it to the small bowl. Halve the zested lemon, juice both halves, and add it to the bowl. Add 1/2 cup olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix.
    
    
14. 
    Transfer the meatballs to your serving dish/platter. Spoon the salsa verde sauce over the meatballs. Put the remaining sauce in a small bowl and put it out with the meatballs so people can add more.