Vegan Chickpea Meatball Subs with Homemade Mozzarella

Step 1

In a food processor add the cooked grain, pecans, and garlic and pulse until finely ground. Add most of the chickpeas (reserve ~1/2 cup), nutritional yeast, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, basil, salt, black pepper, and bread crumbs. Process until ground into a thick mixture. Add the rest of the chickpeas and pulse until they are coarsely chopped.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 375 ºF, and shape the mixture into balls using about 1 1/2-2 tbsp per ball. A cookie scoop makes quick work of this.

Step 3

Pour a little oil into a small baking tray and spread to coat. Place the balls on the greased tray and roll them around to coat in oil. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, then bake another 10-15 minutes until golden.

Step 4

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into a pot and heat over medium low until its thick and glossy. It will thicken even more as it cools. Transfer to a container and keep in the fridge if making in advance.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 450 ºF.

Step 6

Cut a baguette or sandwich roll in half leaving it connected in the back. Spread a thick layer of marinara on both sides of the bread. Roll the chickpea meatballs in the tomato sauce before tucking into the sandwich. Top with caramelized onions and pesto and tuck in the vegan mozzarella.

Step 7

Bake the sandwich for 8-10 minutes if the ingredients are warm, or if they've been prepared in advance and refrigerated bake 15-20 minutes to heat through. The vegan mozzarella will be melty and start to brown and the sandwich bread will get toasty when done. Enjoy hot, garnish with fresh basil if desired.