Hello my Lovelies!
I’ve missed you! Life has been full blast this year. I’ve been intentionally trying to eat more plant based and make smarter choices. That’s a blog post of itself so I’ll save that for another day. But I wanted to share with you a recipe I’ve picked up along the way this year :)
Vegan meatballs! I stumbled upon a blog called Vegan Heaven a few months ago and they’ve go some great recipes! This one included, so I decided to give it a whirl.
When I think of spaghetti and meatballs, the first thing that always comes to mind is the scene in “Lady and the Tramp” with the spaghetti slurp kiss and the meatballs…. I still remember how mad I got at the two Siamese cats for bringing Lady into trouble haha. You can’t go wrong with the Disney classics!
The challenge…making meatballs…without meat. The irony right? But guess what? It can be done :) All you need are kidney beans and oats. They’re super delicious, easy to make, and incredibly healthy!! I absolutely love pasta and I could eat it at least once or twice a week…but I’d be a blimp if I did that…plus gluten and I aren’t best buddies….so alternative options here we are :)
This recipe is suuuuuuper easy! All you need is a can of kidney beans, sunflower (or flax) seeds, rolled oats, garlic, half an onion, and some spices. The sunflower seeds are a great source of vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium!
- 1 – 15 oz can kidney beans
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (I used water to replace the oil because I’m going oil free)
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce (I omitted this)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 heaped cup sunflower seeds
- salt
- black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (I used water to replace the oil because…..oil free)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- fresh basil leaves, cut into small pieces
- salt
- black pepper
- 1/2 cup unsalted cashews
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt
Instructions:
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Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.
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Rinse and drain the kidney beans. Put them in a medium bowl and mash them well with a fork. In a medium pan, heat some oil (or water) and sauté the onions for 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add the sautéed onion and garlic to the mashed beans together with the spices, tomato paste, soy sauce, and oats. Put the sunflower seeds in a food processor and pulse until a fine meal is achieved. Add to the bean mixture and combine well. Season with salt and pepper. Form about 12-14 balls.
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Make the marinara sauce: In a medium pan, heat the olive oil (or water) over medium heat. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and the carrot. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Then deglaze with red wine and allow to evaporate. Add diced tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper. Before serving add some fresh basil leaves.
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In a medium pan, heat some olive oil (or water) over medium heat and gently roast the bean balls for about 4 minutes until they are golden.
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Make the Cashew Parmesan: Put the cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder in a food processor and pulse until a fine meal is achieved.
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Serve the spaghetti with the marinara and vegan meatballs and sprinkle with Parmesan and fresh basil leaves.
Mamma Mia!!!
Soooo goood! What’s your favorite vegan pasta recipe?
XoXo,
One Lady & The Tramp Watching Lemon
Images Courtesy of Vegan Heaven.
Adventures with Kat 