Meet Alex Caspero
Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
Vegan Thanksgiving Meatballs! Lentil and mushroom stuffing meatballs featuring sweet dried cherries. Perfect for whatever your Thanksgiving gathering looks like this year.
I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is just weeks away. 2020 feels like the ultimate time-warp; it feels like just yesterday I was pregnant with Emery and now she’s crawling, babbling and seems much older than her 8 months.
At the same time, it almost feels like I’m still stuck in March— it feels like I blinked through the summer and fall as we fast approach the end of the year.
I can’t be the only one that feels that way. And, whatever your Thanksgiving plans are this year— I’ve got some adorable, festive meatballs that should be on your table. They have all the classic Thanksgiving flavors: sage, thyme, oregano and simple enough if your table is only being set for two.
I’m actually not sure what our dinner plans are yet, but I know it will just be my small little family. These thanksgiving meatballs with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy are looking pretty perfect.
These vegan stuffing meatballs also contain a good serving of dried sweet cherries! Did you know that sweet cherries are a natural source of tryptophan, serotonin and melatonin which makes them a great, non-medicated sleep aid. In fact, the presence of all of these along with cherry phenolics helps to regulate sleep cycles. With all that 2020 has thrown at us, sweet cherries can help with quality sleep when we need it most.
In fact, sweet cherries not only promote healthy sleep, but also help to reduce stress. Various studies have shown that serotonin is an important neurotransmitter that reduces stress and helps to improve mood. Sweet cherries also do double duty for reducing stress and inflammation.
Eating cherries significantly decreased C-reactive protein and nitrous oxide concentrations, which are both pro-inflammatory factors. Now that’s what I call a superfood!
While fresh cherries are only available during the summer months, frozen or preserved dried cherries are available year-round and are an excellent alternative that allows you to enjoy the health benefits anytime.
In these vegan thanksgiving meatballs, dried cherries provide the perfect bite of sweetness to help balance the rich, meaty flavor and texture of the lentils and mushrooms. I think these meatballs are great on their own (thanksgiving sub sandwich?) but go perfectly with a big pile of mashed potatoes and plenty of homemade vegan gravy.
Like I mentioned before, I think this meal would be the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, especially if your holiday celebration is much smaller this year.
If you try this recipe, make sure to come back, leave a comment and rate it! Your feedback helps others and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
PrintVegan Thanksgiving Meatballs! Lentil and mushroom stuffing meatballs featuring sweet dried cherries. Perfect for whatever your Thanksgiving gathering looks like this year.
These meatballs are fantastic over mashed potatoes and with homemade mushroom gravy.
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(2 comments) leave a comment
This dish is so good that even non-vegans will love it. I made it with dehydrated mushrooms that are a bit undersoaked and I was pleasantly surprised at how chewy and, for lack of a better word, “meaty” they were. But as always, its the innovate spicing of all your dishes that amaze me. I wasn’t sure about the cherries in the dish, but it tasted like a traditional Thanksgiving main dish. Thanks!
So glad to hear, thanks Sandra!