Steps

• Soak the soybeans in water for 48 hours.

  👉 24 hours of soaking are sufficient, but you can extend the time, remembering to change the water a couple of times.

  ☝ I recommend refrigerating the bowl with the soaking soybeans (for the reasons I explained in the homemade soy milk recipe). In any case, remember to change the water at least a couple of times.

  After soaking, drain and rinse the soybeans and cook them in plenty of water with a carrot, a celery stalk, and half an onion.

  Cook for at least 3 hours.

  👉 Note: I cooked an entire bag of soybeans and then used 400 grams of cooked beans for the meatballs. (I made a soup with the rest 😉).

  👉 For yellow soybeans, I’ve noticed different cooking times so far. It’s likely that the cooking time depends on the soaking duration, but I believe it could also depend on the soy itself, probably its variety, origin, or age (for example, I found that a nearly expired bag took twice as long to cook (6 hours) compared to the soy I cooked today (3 hours and a quarter).

  When the soy is cooked, take the 14 oz needed for this recipe using a slotted spoon.

  Chop the soybeans in a food processor with 2 cloves of garlic. Chop well, adding a few tablespoons of water (cooking water works fine), or part of the vegetables used in cooking, to soften the mixture and ease the processor.
  If the dill or parsley is fresh, you can add it (a bunch) to the processor at this stage.

  Pour the soy paste into a bowl, add the breadcrumbs, a bit of grated lemon zest, plenty of nutmeg, and if you like, a teaspoon of celery salt gomasio.

  ☝ Celery salt gomasio is optional in this recipe, but I recommend it because it’s a good flavor enhancer.

  Mix the mixture with your hands and form the meatballs.

  

• The mixture is quite crumbly, but by compacting it well with your hands, you shouldn’t have problems forming the meatballs. If needed, you can moisten the mixture with a few tablespoons of water or milk (vegetable) if not done earlier during the chopping.

  If you want, you can add an egg, but in this case, the recipe will no longer be vegan, so consider using it according to your needs. As much as possible, I always avoid using eggs in meatballs, regardless of the type, even in meat ones, and I find it works well for me.

  Cook the soy meatballs in a non-stick pan with little oil. Lightly brown them on both sides, turning them gently.

  

• Meanwhile, in another pan, sauté a chopped clove of garlic with a piece of chili pepper, pour in the tomato puree, and cook the sauce (which can be flavored with oregano, basil, or parsley as desired) for 15-20 minutes. If it tends to dry out, moisten the sauce with a few tablespoons of water and cook it with the lid on.

  Once the meatballs are cooked (10-15 minutes are enough considering the soy is already cooked), add them to the tomato sauce and let them soak up the flavors in the sauce for a few minutes.

  Alternatively, you can skip the browning phase and cook the meatballs directly in the cold tomato sauce: they will take on a nice red color typical of sauce cooking and have a more moist consistency. With this cooking method, I recommend using more tomato puree as the sauce tends to reduce more.

  Enjoy your meal!
  And remember, don’t forget to sop up the sauce! 😀