I have tried my share of “meat” balls, and so far I’ve been less then impressed.  I usually find fake meat to be too weird.  I hate meat, so why would I want to eat something that is trying to be meat?  That’s not to say I don’t like Field Roast Sausages, and veggie burgers, but that’s as far as my fake meat love goes.  I rather have a dish that embraces its non-meat persona, rather then try to be something its not.

Ok, that was a bit of a tangent, back to vegan meatballs.   Since I have been unimpressed by premade vegan meatballs I decided to make my own.  I threw some things in my food processor and hoped for the best.

The verdict?  Awesome!! They were perfectly happy being white bean balls, not at all pretending to be a dead cow.  Pure love!  Served with spaghetti, marinara sauce, and some sautéed spinach, it was an Italian feast.

Spaghetti and Neat Balls

Makes about 15 Neat Balls

  • 2 pieces of Food For Life Ezekiel Bread, toasted (I’m sure other dense breads would work too)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2-3 big fresh sage leaves
  • 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbls olive oil
  • 1-2 tbls water (just enough to get everything mixed)
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425˚F.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

In your food processor, pulse bread a few times until you get crumbs.  Add garlic and sage, pulse a few more times.  Add remaining ingredients, and process until relatively smooth, a few lumps are ok.

Roll into 2 inch balls and place on foil.  Bake about 35 minutes, until browned.

Before:

After:

Serve atop pasta and cover in marinara sauce.  Yum Yum Yum!

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