Spaghetti & Meatballs

This list is long for these little meatballs but the flavor is huge and well worth it. These ingredients are pantry staples in my kitchen so my grocery list pretty much just pasta and mushrooms.

One Year Ago Today Kale Satchels with Cinnamon Grits

Chickpeas and cremini mushrooms blended together with parsley, panko and fresh rosemary to create firm and hearty meatballs to serve over whole wheat spaghetti with marinara.

Vegan Meatballs
makes 10 large or 20 small meatballs
1-15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped cremini mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tbl fresh parsley
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking
2 tbl tomato paste
2 tbl tamari
2 tbl water
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbl fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas and mushrooms and pulse into finely ground pieces. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse into a cohesive dough.
Turn out on the counter and knead a few times into a ball. Divide into small meatballs.
Saute in olive oil until golden brown on all sides, 10-15 minutes total.
Serve with thin spaghetti and your favorite pasta sauce.

Spicy Asian Meatballs with Snap Peas

Spicy Asian Balls? Asian Bulgar Balls? There is just no good way to put it but to just use the good ol' fashioned "meatball" term. While no meat lingers in these tasty delights, bulgar is the main source of substance and a hearty one at that.

Asian style meatballs filled with bulgar, ginger, sesame, panko and shiitake mushrooms smothered in spicy hoisin sauce and served with crisp snap peas and jasmine rice.

One Year Ago Today Fig & Cherry Granola

Spicy Asian Meatballs
serves 2-3
3/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup bulgar
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1" piece fresh ginger, minced
1 cup minced shiitake mushrooms
salt and pepper
1/2 cup minced scallions
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbl tomato paste
2 tbl hoisin sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Preheat the oven to 350.
Combine the boiling water and bulgar and cover. Sit for 15-20 minutes and fluff.
Saute the shallot, garlic, ginger and mushrooms in olive oil for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and form in to 8 balls.
Bake on a sheet pan for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour some of the hoisin sauce over each one.
Once plated, spoon more sauce over the meatballs.

Spicy Hoisin Sauce
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbl tamari
1 tbl maple syrup
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp chili paste (such as sambal)
Combine all and pour over the meatballs while they are warm.

Sugar Snap Peas
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
6 oz sugar snaps peas
salt and pepper
black sesame seeds

Saute the snap peas for 1 minute in oil, add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and steam lightly for 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and black sesame seeds.

White Bean & Escarole Balls, Whole Wheat Penne & Hazelnut-Spinach Pesto

These bean 'meat' balls and pesto are stuffed with great ingredients that you may not eat often, but could certainly benefit from all the time. Escarole is found in the balls, while spinach and hazelnuts hide away in the pesto. If you can't find escarole, any dark green leaf like kale or chard can be substituted.  


Crisp on the outside, creamy on the side, white beans, escarole, garlic and meaty mushrooms form filling 'meat'balls to serve on top of whole wheat penne and homemade spinach hazelnut pasta.

White Bean & Escarole Balls
1 heaping cup cremini mushrooms
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 heaping cup roughly chopped escarole leaves
1-15oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
Whole wheat penne pasta, cooked

Preheat the oven to 350. Insert a baking sheet in the oven to get hot.
In a food processor, pule the mushrooms and garlic into roughly chopped pieces. Add the escarole and pulse a few times to break down into small pieces as well.
Add the beans, rosemary, salt and pepper and pulse until most of the beans have broken down, but some whole still remain. Stir in the panko and form into small balls, about 8-10 depending on size.
Take the pan out of the oven to grease the bottom. Add the balls and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown, turning the balls every 10 minutes or so to ensure even browning and crisping.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. When done, drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid. Use the starchy pasta water to thin out the pesto into a sauce to coat the pasta.

Spinach Hazelnut Pesto
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 heaping cup baby spinach leaves
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, pulse everything together except the oil until finely ground. Stream in the oil while blending until desired consistency, about 1/4-1/2 cup.