Organic Dill Pickles
Vegetarian Spaghetti and Meatballs
This recipe has a thick, rich, and zesty tomato sauce, and the meatballs are packed with italian flavor. If you are worried that veggie meatballs sound ridiculously healthy, hang in there. You will not be sacrificing flavor for one moment. Here’s a little story: I made the dish yesterday, shot it for the blog (and for dinner later), then went on to the rest of my daily business, which included going to my son Jake’s “Back to School Night” for parents at 6:00 pm. The plan was for my husband to stay home and feed Jake while I went to chat to Jake’s teachers.
As I walked in the door, Toby said that Jake loved dinner, but he wanted to save the rest for me, so I could, “um, shoot it for the blog.” Uh huh. One of the traits I love the most about my husband is that he’s an incredibly ungifted liar. I made no comment, dropped my bags, and hit the stove. In the pan were the meatballs enveloped in a thick, luxurious sauce, with the spaghetti on the side. I took a forkful of meatball, dipped it into the sauce, and popped it in my mouth. Heaven. Seriously, it was wicked. I was oohing and ahhing, so much so, that Toby came into the kitchen. “C’mon, have a bite! It gorgeous!” Toby then grabbed a spoon, caught a ball, and smudged on some sauce. He cautiously took a bite, then went curiously quiet. Without a word, he walked the pan (the pan no less) to the sofa, sat down, and polished it off while watching a surf show on Fuel TV. Uh huh.
Vegetarian Spaghetti and Golden Meatballs
1 package spaghetti
For the Sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 28 o cans of chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup red wine
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of unbleached sugar
freshly grated parmesan for garnish
For the Vegetarian Meatballs
2 cups grated cauliflower
2 cups grated cabbage
1 3/4 cups chickpea flour (also called Gram flour. Available at Indian grocery stores)
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Prepare the sauce
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onions, and saute for 5-7 minutes until they become soft. Add the garlic, cook for a minute, then add the tomatoes, bay leaf, basil, and oregano for 5 minutes.
2. Using a wooden spoon, crush the tomatoes. Stir in the red wine and cook on medium heat for ten minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until the sauce takes on a thick and rich consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Cover to keep warm and remove from heat
Prepare the Meatballs
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Form the mixture into 20-24 small bite size meatballs. If your hands get a bit sticky while forming the balls, flour them with the chickpea flour.
3. Fry the meatballs at medium heat for 2-3 minutes in olive oil until they turn a light golden color. Watch them carefully: Fry in batches of five as they will need to be turned and removed quite quickly onto a plate covered with a paper towel.
4. Add the meatballs to the sauce, and on low heat, cook for 20 minutes.
5. In a pot of boiling and salted water, cook the spaghetti as per the directions on the packaging. Drain. Serve the spaghetti in a bowls, topped off with the sauce, a few meatballs, and freshly grated Parmesan.
5. In a pot of boiling and salted water, cook the spaghetti as per the directions on the packaging. Drain. Serve the spaghetti in a bowls, topped off with the sauce, a few meatballs, and freshly grated Parmesan.
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I'm gonna try this! See you guys at the park!
how do the meatballs stay together? there is no binding ingredient?
Hi! The chickpea flour is the binder and it works a treat!
Enjoy,
Nicole