Spaghetti and Meat-less Meatballs
By Megan Patterson of Blog Appétit
Cold weather calls for all of the pasta dishes your heart desires and this quick and easy spaghetti and meat-less meatballs recipe is the perfect one for any cold winter night. It’s quick enough to make as a weeknight meal or you can prep it ahead of time and freeze the meat-less meatballs to serve at a later time with your favorite noodles and spaghetti sauce. This recipe only calls for a few ingredients and a couple dishes to create a delicious homemade spaghetti meal in no time that the whole family can enjoy!
To make the meatballs - first you’ll want to make your flax egg by combining ground flax (you can grind whole flax seeds in a food processor if not able to find flax meal) and water in a small bowl. Set aside until the mixture becomes a thick, jello-like consistency.
While you’re waiting on the flax egg, mash your chickpeas using a blender or food processor. If you don’t have one of these, you can also mash them by hand using a potato masher. You’ll want to mash them until they are a thick cookie dough like texture. Combine the mashed chickpeas, flax egg and all other listed ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a spoon until well mixed.
Then using a cookie scoop, scoop out mounds of the mixture onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet and roll with your hands to create your meatballs. Pop the sheet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, flipping the meatballs over halfway through cooking.
While the meatballs are cooking, make your favorite spaghetti noodles and warm up a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce to serve over top. Finish off the dish with some dried or fresh parsley and enjoy!
Vegan Spaghetti and Meat-less Meatballs
Ingredients
8 Tablespoons water
2 cans of drained and rinsed chickpeas
1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 box of spaghetti noodles
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Instructions
In a small bowl, stir together ground flax and 8 tablespoons water. Set aside.
In a food processor or blender, add the chickpeas and pulse until there are almost no whole beans left. If you do not have a food processor, you can mash them by hand with a potato masher.
In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed chickpeas, flax/water mixture, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, dried seasonings and salt. Stir with a large wooden spoon until well combined. The mixture will be very thick.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out mounds of mixture onto a parchment lined or greased baking sheet.
Using your hands roll the mounds into balls and place in the oven at 425℉ and bake for 30-35 minutes, turning once halfway through.
While the meatballs are baking, prepare spaghetti noodles according to package instructions and warm the spaghetti sauce in a large sauce pan.
When the meatballs are done cooking, carefully place them in the marinara sauce. Gently stir to coat, but be careful not to break them as they aren't as firm as regular meatballs.
Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles and top with fresh or dried parsley!
Recipe adapted from Nora Cooks
