Greek-Inspired Tofu Meatballs

White bowl filled with yogurt, lentils, cucumber, and tofu meatballs,

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Inspired by Greek-seasoning meatballs, this vegetarian version uses crumbled tofu and fresh herbs to make a flavorful & protein-packed entree.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Greek

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 652kcal

Author: Cassidy Reeser, MS, RD

Ingredients

Tofu Meatballs

14 ounce block extra firm tofu see note #1
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint see note #2
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
¼ medium sweet yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
½ cup black eyed peas see note #3
1 large egg see note #4
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 ounces feta crumbled

Assembly

⅓ cup tahini
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt, to taste
water, as needed
5.5 ounce container plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic grated
1 ½ cups marinated lentils see note #7
½ medium cucumber sliced thinly into half moons

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Press the tofu for 10 minutes using a tofu press or by weighing it down with a heavy skillet or cans. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon olive oil with the mint, parsley, and oregano.
While the tofu presses, use the medium holes on a box grater to grate the onion. Use the small holes or a microplane to grate the garlic.
Add the black-eyed peas to a medium bowl. Mash with a fork, until mostly broken down. After 10 minutes, crumble the pressed tofu into a bowl as if you were making a tofu scramble. The tofu should be a variety of sizes, with some pieces more crumbled than others. Don't squish it into a paste!
Stir the tofu and black-eyed peas together with the oil and herbs, onion, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, salt, cumin, optional red pepper flakes, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and crumbled feta. I find a spatula works best here, folding until the mixture is holding together.
Form the tofu mixture into balls. They should hold together well. If the mixture is crumbly, add an extra egg.
Transfer to a lightly oiled or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 400F for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. The tofu meatballs are ready when golden.
To make the garlicky yogurt, whisk together the Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 clove grated garlic, and a pinch of salt. Make the tahini drizzle by whisking together ⅓ cup tahini, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is a drizzle-able consistency.
Assemble bowls by adding yogurt to the bowl, topping it with lentils and sliced cucumber, then the meatballs. Drizzle with tahini, to taste. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Tofu: I tested this with extra firm and firm tofu and both work well, just make sure to really squeeze the water out of the tofu.
Herbs: Fresh herbs add a ton of flavor, so I recommend using them if they're available. If not, replace 1 tablespoon fresh herbs with 1 teaspoon dry.
Black-eyed peas: An equal amount of white beans works as well. I like using black-eyed peas because they have an earthy flavor.
Egg: I tested this with flax eggs and it did not work well as a direct swap and resulted in much softer meatballs. For firmer meatballs, add a total of 2 eggs.
Dairy-free option: An equal amount of vegan feta can be used in place of dairy feta.
Pan-fry option: These meatballs are quite delicate, so if pan-frying note that they may crumble. The better option is to par-bake them (10 minutes) then pan-fry until golden.
Marinated lentils: I typically cook 1 cup dry lentils which yields 2.5-3 cups lentils, or 2 cans lentils. Mix drained lentils with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, zest of the lemon, 2 tablespoon balsamic glaze, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (red wine vinegar also works), a sprinkle of dry or fresh herbs, salt to taste.

Nutrition