Spaghetti mit Bean Balls
When I think of spaghetti with meatballs, the meatball scene in the Disney movie "Lady and the Tramp" immediately comes to mind, where Tramp invites Lady to a romantic dinner.
- 1 can of kidney beans (drained weight: 225g)
- 50 g sunflower seeds
- 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
- 1/2 onion, cut into small cubes
- 1 Tl Oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 65g coarse rolled oats (I used spelt flakes)
- Salt
- Pfeffer
- 1 small onion, cut into small cubes
- 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 carrot
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 60 ml dry red wine
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (240 g)
- 1 Tl Oregano
- 1 handful of fresh basil
- Salt
- Pfeffer
- 250g wholemeal spaghetti
- 60 g unsalted cashew nuts
- 2 tbsp yeast flakes
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 1 pinch of salt
- Prepare the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
- Drain and rinse the kidney beans well. Place them in a bowl and roughly mash them with your hands or a fork. Heat some oil in a pan and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes until translucent. Then add the chopped garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the onion and garlic to the kidney beans and mix in the spices, tomato paste, soy sauce, and rolled oats.
- Place the sunflower seeds in a blender or food processor and grind them to a fine powder. Add them to the bean mixture and season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into about 12-14 small balls.
- Next, prepare the tomato sauce. Heat a little olive oil in a medium-sized pan. Sauté the chopped onion for 3 minutes until translucent, then add the garlic and carrot. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, sauté briefly, and deglaze with the red wine. Let it reduce slightly, then add the diced tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes and season with oregano, salt, and pepper. Add fresh basil leaves before serving.
- Fry the bean balls in a pan with a little oil for about 4 minutes until crispy. Alternatively, you can also prepare them in the oven (10 minutes at 180 °C on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper).
- To make the cashew parmesan, put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and grind finely.
- Serve the bean balls with the spaghetti and tomato sauce, and sprinkle with the cashew parmesan.
We often have bean burgers, but a few days ago I used the mix for spaghetti with bean balls. I posted a recipe for spaghetti with vegan meatballs some time ago (sometime in winter), but I've tweaked it a bit since then. I absolutely love spaghetti, and Flo is always happy to enjoy this simple and delicious American-Italian dish.
These vegan bean balls also taste great with a salad and dips like guacamole or hummus. They're also perfect for wraps, similar to falafel. Preparation is quite simple. All you need is a can of kidney beans (you can use dried beans, of course, but it will take considerably longer), sunflower seeds, rolled oats, garlic, half an onion, and some spices. For the sauce, I used tomatoes, red wine, a carrot, and also onion and garlic.
But of course, you can get much more creative and add all sorts of other vegetables. Oh, and don't forget to sprinkle the spaghetti with bean balls with a generous portion of vegan parmesan made from cashews and nutritional yeast. I just can't get enough of it lately and use it for pretty much everything. -)
I hope you like the recipe and have a wonderful weekend! :-)
