Ingredients

• Ingredients Scale 1x2x3x 12 oz. pasta or 2 spaghetti squash 1 jar (25 oz.) marinara sauce (or pasta sauce of choice) Bean Balls 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water, for water saute 8 oz. mushrooms (about 8 oz), sliced (I used cremini) 1 small yellow onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup walnuts or sunflower seeds, optional 1 can (15 oz) beans (cannellini, chickpeas, kidney or black beans), drained and rinsed 1 cup of oats (old fashioned or quick oats) 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings (sub with dried oregano, basil, thyme or a mixture of these) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste sea salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

• Instructions Saute: In a skillet or pan, heat oil or water over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic, add saute for 5 minutes, adding the herbs during the last minute. Let cool for a few minutes. Food processor: If using the nuts/seeds, place in food processor first and pulse until coarsely ground, and continue. Also, if using old fashioned oats place them in the with the nuts to chop them up a bit. Add the beans, sauteed veggies, oats. Pulse until just combined (don’t overmix or it’ll turn into a paste). Taste for seasoning adding anything extra you may like. I added in some fresh chopped basil I had on hand. Shape vegan meatballs: Roll mixture into balls, about 1 1/2 – 2 inches, and place on a baking sheet. I was able to get 10 jumbo sized bean balls. You can easily make smaller balls, yielding 16 – 20. Cook in 1 of 2 ways: Bake: Place balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mat. Put in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 25 – 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. If roasting spaghetti squash, add in while the squash is cooking. Remove both when time is up and let cool. Stovetop: In a skillet or shallow pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat, add meatballs and cook for 15 – 20 minutes, turning often to brown all sides. Cook sauce + meatballs: Add the pasta sauce and meatballs together, cook over low for 10 minutes, or until sauce is warmed through. Pasta: Cook the pasta according to package directions. If using spaghetti squash, see How To Cook Spaghetti Squash Serve: In individual bowls serve spaghetti topped with sauce and vegan meatballs. Top with salt, pepper, and chopped fresh parsley or basil. A nice dusting of Almond Parmesan will also enhance this dish! Serves 4 – 6 Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Leftovers were great!