Vegan Meatballs with Spaghetti

Step 1

Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.

Step 2

Rinse and drain the kidney beans. Put them in a medium bowl and mash them well with a fork or a potato masher.

Step 3

In a medium pan, heat some oil and sauté the onions for 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Step 4

Put the sunflower seeds in a food processor and pulse until a fine meal is achieved.

Step 5

Add the sauteed onion and garlic to the mashed beans together with the spices, the tomato paste, the soy sauce, the ground sunflower seeds, and the oats. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 6

Use your hands to thoroughly mix everything. Then form about 12-14 vegan meatballs. (Please note that I doubled the recipe for the photos, so there are more meatballs).

Step 7

Preheat the oven to 350 °F bake the vegan meatballs for about 15 minutes. Carefully flip them halfway through the baking time.

Step 8

Alternatively you could also pan-fry them. In a medium pan, heat some olive oil over medium heat and gently roast the bean balls for about 4 minutes until they are golden. You'll achieve the best results with a cast iron pan.  However, I would recommend the baking version. Not only is this version oil-free, they meatballs also become more crispier and firmer this way.

Step 9

Make the marinara sauce: In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and the carrot. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Step 10

Then deglaze with red wine and allow to evaporate. Add diced tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper. Before serving add some fresh basil leaves.

Step 11

Make the cashew Parmesan: Put the cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder in a food processor and pulse until a fine meal is achieved.

Step 12

Serve the spaghetti with the marinara and vegan meatballs and sprinkle with Parmesan and fresh basil leaves.