Vegan Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash
I don’t know if it’s my age or what but lately spaghetti noodles and pasta, in general, sit heavy in my stomach making me feel sluggish and bloated especially if I eat them more than twice a week. A few years back when I was first introduced to the idea of eating spaghetti squash I swore I wasn’t going to like it, but after trying some I quickly realized it’s not bad at all. As far as meatballs I’m just not into the mock meat versions available in the grocery store and prefer making my own alternatives from scratch at home.
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
Vegan Meatballs:
1 cup of almond flour
2 packs of sliced mushrooms
1 chopped onion
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup of chopped parsley (optional)
1/4 cup of vegan parmesan (optional)
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 tablespoon fennel seed
1/2 tablespoon red pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon basil paste
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. With a sharp knife carefully cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (vertically). Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and coat the inside with olive oil before seasoning with salt and pepper. Once oiled and seasoned place on a greased baking sheet face down and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes. Flip the squash over to run a fork down the inside of the squash to check if done. The fork will form al-dente-like spaghetti strands indicating when it’s ready to be taken out of the oven. Once ready reduce the oven to 350 degrees and place the spaghetti squash aside to cool.
In a medium frying pan and sauté the onions with olive oil until translucent before adding minced garlic, tomato paste, basil paste, Worcestershire sauce, and mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms are cooked through and soft, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
In a food processor add the sautéed veggies along with the chopped parsley, cooked rice, almond flour, vegan parmesan, nutritional yeast, fennel seed, red pepper, Italian seasoning, and paprika, and process until consistency is a clumpy paste-like consistency, be careful not to let it get mushy. Transfer the mushroom clump to a mixing bowl and mix in the cornstarch. Once the cornstarch is well incorporated take a spoon and scoop out chunks of paste to roll into meatballs. Be sure to space the balls about 2 inches apart before placing them in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Serve in a spaghetti squash half with tomato sauce of choice homemade or store-bought with a few meatballs. Make sure to store the leftovers for later. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply