Meatballs on spaghetti are a perennially popular dish – children always seem to wolf them down. This vegetarian version works really well with spaghetti in a spicy tomato sauce, and adds a good dose of beany protein to an otherwise carb heavy dish.
I had a tin of canellini beans lurking around – as D jokingly calls it ‘the by product from my use of Aquafaba!!’, and I thought I’d experiment with white bean based ‘meatballs’. Although necessarily softer than a meaty version, they do get a nice crisp exterior whilst baking in the oven and the bean and breadcrumb mix is the perfect carrier of robust flavours – on this occasion sundried tomato, basil and garlic as a nod to a classic caprese salad. Besides, a recipe of five healthy ingredients which can be whipped up in minutes, you can’t complain at that!
Vegetarian Caprese Meatballs
(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)
serves 4
Makes 12 which serves 4
3/4 tin of canellini beans plus 2tbsp of the liquid in the tin (the aquafaba)
5 sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 slice of bread made into breadcrumbs
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
Small bunch basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
- Whizz together all the ingredients in a food processor
- Using wet hands, form into balls and place on a foil lined baking sheet which has been lightly oiled
- Bake for 15 minutes at 190 degrees centigrade until golden
- Serve on spaghetti and spicy tomato sauce
2 Responses
Love this clever idea Lucy – especially given I have recently moved to eating meat only once a week – I have been doing lots of experimenting swopping out meat for beans…😄
good for you x