Plant-Based "Meat" Patties with Zucchini in Home-Style Red Sauce

I’ll tell you right now, this is a great recipe for kids and I promise they won't even notice there's zucchini or even buckwheat flour inside.

I served this dish for dinner and Eyal (who is a child whose magic words can't fully describe) devoured the patties, which were served with simple white rice.

It was great fun to watch from the sidelines, and to this minute, the kid has no idea he ate patties with zucchini and buckwheat haha.

Before I start telling you about the recipe, I'll open with a disclosure that this recipe was created in collaboration with Meatless Farm.

Thank you very much; it helps this blog continue to exist and promote veganism and healthy nutrition.

This product looks like ground meat and acts like ground meat (some say it tastes like ground meat, but I have no idea because I haven't eaten ground meat for over 20 years).

It contains a good amount of protein from high-quality soy protein and also from pea protein.

Besides the high protein content, it also contains a good amount of dietary fiber (what ground meat would provide you with fiber, huh?) and is completely gluten-free.

A bit about the recipe

So as mentioned, the recipe was developed in collaboration with Meatless Farm and uses their plant-based ground "meat". I'm writing honestly here—I don't know what it can be replaced with, as I haven't tried with other plant-based grounds.

To give the patties volume and juiciness, I used zucchini grated on a grater; you can replace it with carrot, beetroot, or even potato, but keep in mind that this will change the nutritional values.

To bind the mixture, I used buckwheat flour, which in my opinion is the ultimate binder. You can, of course, use the same amount of chickpea/spelt/lentil flour or any other flour you have.

The spice blend I chose, in my opinion, is very flattering and integrates well with the plant-based ground.

Obviously, this is a recommendation, and if you want to season it differently, go for it.

I baked the patties in the oven, and in my opinion, there is really no need to fry them beforehand.

After baking the patties, I continued to cook them in a rich and thick tomato sauce. This is not a must, and you can devour them as they are or swap for another sauce.

But between us, tomato sauce is the best, isn't it?

Nutritional values of Plant-Based "Meat" Patties with Zucchini

One patty out of 25 patties, oven-baked without sauce, contains:

• 54 calories
• 3.8 g protein
• 5.4 g carbohydrates
• 2 g fat

Adding a serving of sauce weighing 20 g will contain:

• 11 calories
• Less than 1 g of protein
• 1.8 g carbohydrates
• 0.5 g fat

Plant-Based "Meat" Patties with Zucchini in Home-Style Red Sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 25 patties

Calories 54 kcal

Ingredients

For the Patties

• 400 g Plant-based grounds I used Meatless Farm
• 1 Zucchini medium
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce 20 ml
• 1 tsp Maple syrup 10 ml
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Curry powder
• 2 Cloves Minced garlic
• Pinch Ground black pepper
• 1 Handful Chopped basil leaves
• 1 cup Buckwheat flour 150 g
• 1 tbsp Olive oil

For the Sauce

• 6 Tomatoes or 400 g of crushed tomatoes
• 7 Cloves Minced garlic Don't be afraid of the quantity
• 1 tsp Maple syrup
• 1 Level tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1/2 cup Water
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Sweet paprika
• 1 Level tbsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Cumin

Instructions

Start with the Patties

1. Remove the plant-based ground from the freezer and thaw on the counter

2. Preheat the oven to a medium heat of 180 degrees

3. In a deep bowl, mix the "ground meat", soy sauce, maple syrup, paprika, curry blend, black pepper, basil leaves, and buckwheat flour and mix well until a uniform mixture is obtained

4. With wet hands, form 25 patties and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

5. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the patties

6. Bake the patties for 10-15 minutes until golden

Prepare the Sauce

1. In a food processor, grind the tomatoes into a smooth sauce

2. In a wide and large skillet, capable of holding the sauce and patties, heat the oil

3. Add the paprika, cumin, turmeric, and salt to the hot oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes

4. Add the minced garlic and fry for a few more seconds (be careful not to burn the garlic)

5. Add the crushed tomatoes, maple syrup, and half a cup of water and bring to a boil

6. Add the tomato paste and mix well

7. Add the patties and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes

8. Remove from heat and serve with macaroni or rice