Spaghetti with Veggie “Meatballs” and Roasted Butternut Sauce
This roasty, flavourful sauce and perfect meatless “meatballs” can be made ahead and both freeze well. With these on hand, this delicious and nutritious meal can come together in just a few minutes.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2dozen vegan meatballs | 40minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 30minutes | 20minutes chilling time |
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Ingredients
- 2 flax “eggs”Combine 2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 4 Tablespoons of water and let sit for a few minutes.
- 2cups cooked quinoacooked in veggie broth and cooled
- 2cans black beansdried and cooled
- 1cup walnutsor cashews
- 1/2cup sweet onionfinely chopped
- 5-6cloves garlic
- 1/4cup tomato paste
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2teaspoon chili/garlic saucemore if you like heat
- 3Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2Tablespoons vegan pesto
- 2Tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- 1/4cup parsley and/or chiveschopped finely
- salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Butternut Squash Sauce
- 3cups cubed butternut squashroasted
- 1 head roasted garlic
- 1/2medium sweet onion
- 2cups veggie broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
“Meatballs”
- Make your “meatballs” ahead of time, as they take the most time. They are easy to freeze and have on hand for fast meals.
- Cook your quinoa in veggie broth and allow to cool completely.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread your black beans on a cookie sheet and allow to break open and dry out. This should take about 15 minutes. Let cool.
- In a food processor, pulse the nuts until they are crumbly but not butter! Empty the food processor and put ground nuts in a large mixing bowl.
- Heat a frying pan to medium heat with a little oil. In the food processor, finely chop the onions and the garlic. Add the onion and garlic mixture to the hot pan and cook until translucent Add the tomato paste and allow it to cook to become a little roasty.
- In the food processor, add the dried black beans, the onion/garlic/tomato mixture, the flax “eggs” and all the remaining spices and herbs. Process to make a crumbly mixture.
- Add this mixture to the large mixing bowl with the nuts. Add the cooled quinoa and stir it all together until you have created a mixture that holds together. Adjust seasonings according to taste preferences.
- Using about one heaping Tablespoon of mixture per ball, make as many golf-ball-sized balls as there is mixture. Let chill for 15-20 minutes, or until ready to cook. You can do this all the day before.
- When you are ready to cook, heat a heavy pan with a little oil. Cook the balls, rolling them around in the pan to get them a little browned and crisp.
- Cook them on a baking tray for about 20 minutes in a 350 degree F oven.
- The balls will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge or will freeze well. Use them atop a pile of pasta or on a Vegan Hoagie. You could also use these as your protein in a wrap! Enjoy!
Roasted Butternut Squash Sauce
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a baking tray with a little vegetable oil. Peel the squash and cut it into small cubes to get the most roasted flavour. Stir the cubes to coat all the pieces with a little oil and bake until the squash cubes have become roasty brown.
- While the squash is cooking, you can roast a head of garlic easily. Just slice off a little from the top of the head to expose the top edges of the individual cloves. Wrap in foil after drizzling with a little oil. Cook until the garlic is just soft. Be careful not to overcook.
- Cook the finely chopped onion in a little oil until translucent.
- In a food processor, pulse the cooked squash, the roasted garlic, the cooked onion, and the veggie broth until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve warm, stirred into whole grain pasta with some steamed broccoli. Use a little reserved pasta water to thin to desired thickness. (You could also stir in some coconut milk, sprinkle with some pumpkin seeds and serve this as a tasty soup.) Sprinkle with some Cashew Crumbles and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Vegan Hoagies are a fast and easy meal when you have these “meatballs” in the fridge or freezer.
