Trudy's BBQ Meatballs with McKay's Beef Style Seasoning

I don’t know if you realized this or not, but… I love veggie meat. It’s so convenient and (can be) so delicious. That said, I HATE that it’s so darn expensive! Sure, there are a few exceptions and the occasional sale, but overall, veggie meat can seem like a downright sacrifice sometimes. This is why many vegetarians have been making their own version of veggie meat for years.

Take for example my mom’s meatballs. Like many homemade meat replacers, the main ingredients found inside these delectable little posers are nuts and breadcrumbs. When you combine these two staples with eggs, a few other flavorful components and the power of an oven, you get a soft, but hearty entree that any athlete would enjoy. They’re packed full of carbs and protein, so as long as you’re not on a low carb diet (which I am), they’ll hit the spot. Well, they’ll actually hit the spot anyway…

But how could these ever come close to tasting like meat? I’ll be honest, these meatballs won’t fool anyone, but they do have a secret ingredient that makes them delicious regardless. Before I spill the beans on what it is, let me just say that these faux meatballs were requested by all of my mother’s meat-eating relatives every Thanksgiving and Christmas for years. Even if they don’t taste like real meat, they taste dang good, and I swear you’ll like them. But on to the secret ingredient.

McKay’s Beef Style Instant Broth and Seasoning is an unbelievably salty powder that they’ve somehow managed to make taste a bit beefy. This is a true mystery to me since it’s made from salt, yeast, potato flour, vegetable oil, cornstarch, celery, onion powder, garlic and a bunch of other ingredients that aren’t meat.

When I say this stuff is salty, I mean it. One little teaspoon packs 590 mg of sodium! Yeesh. However, it was totally nice of them to let me know that there is exactly .0021 grams of trans fat in each serving. There are a few versions of the stuff but I always buy the one that’s MSG free and believe me when I say that this stuff can totally save a soup or bolster a brown gravy. This along with the chicken version are musts in every vegetarian kitchen (in my humble opinion...).

It actually has a pretty interesting history too. During World War II, the government asked a guy named John Donofrio to make a soup mix that would dissolve faster than bullion cubes. I’m not sure how the government knew Donofrio could do this, but he did along with the help of a chemist named, you guessed it, McKay. Sixty years later, the company is still family owned an operated. Hence the sweet vintage label, I’m sure. But back to the meatballs. They’re really easy to make AND to adapt.

Trudy’s BBQ Meatballs with McKay’s Beef Style Instant Broth

Serves 8

2 c ground pecans or walnuts

1 c cottage cheese

1 c cheddar

1 medium onion finely diced

2 cups cracker or bread crumbs, plain

1 Tbls McKay’s Beef Style Instant Broth

8 beaten eggs

oil

BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients, except for oil and BBQ sauce in a large bowl.

Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with oil. Vegetable, canola or light olive oil all work fine.

Using a small ice cream scoop, place scoops of mix into pan. Meatballs should be approximately an inch and a half in diameter (If they’re bigger or smaller, you may need to adjust baking time).

Cover with BBQ Sauce and bake for 45 minutes.

Tips: The amount of BBQ sauce is really up to you. I would use no less than 16 oz. I usually buy two bottles and use all of one, and some of the other, but I like mine drenched. If you’re not into BBQ sauce, you can turn these into Italian meatballs by using mozzarella instead of cheddar, Italian breadcrumbs instead of plain and tomato sauce instead of BBQ. Although I’ve never tried it, I bet you could work something out with sweet and sour sauce too. Also, these are just a hop, skip and a jump away from being vegan. Just use some mashed silken tofu instead of cottage cheese, a vegan shredded cheese and an egg replacer. If there’s a milk allergy involved, keep in mind that the MSG free McKay’s seasoning with the blue label has a bit of whey in it. You’ll want to get the vegan version with the dark red and yellow label.