The kids are alright … with Hearty “meatballs” in a rich tomato sauce
A Monday night quickie, “meatballs” in a rich tomato sauce. Son loves meatballs, I don’t as I’ve been vegetarian for as long as I can remember, thought I’d try a vege version of it, so we can eat meatballs together. Worked well, the boys had the meatballs, I had “meatballs” — all in the rich tomato sauce. It was a great meal for the whole gang (or just you !) Give it a go !
Vegan hearty Italian "meatballs" in a rich tomato sauce
2015-08-24 03:47:45
Serves 4
Tasty vegetable balls sunk into a rich tomato sauce. Serve with zucchini spaghetti for a delicious and family friendly meal. Quick and easy.
Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 25 min
Ingredients for the "meatballs"
- 4 cups cauliflower, chopped
- 4 cups of beef stock
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 carrot, chopped
- Olive oil spray
- 1 zucchini
- 1 brown onion
- 1 tsp oregano (or mixed Italian herbs)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper or dried chilli (optional)
Ingredients for the rich tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onions, finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
- 1 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 x 400g cans of crushed or whole tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp dry Italian herbs (basil, oregano) or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat oven to 180°C
- Sauce: Firstly, cook the sauce which can simmer away while you cook the meatballs. Heat the olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and parsley. Stir to coat with the oil, reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft and cooked through.
- Remove the lid, add the garlic and tomatoes, and increase the heat to medium. Now add the tomato paste and Italian herbs. Season. Bring to a low simmer, reduce the heat to low and let cook uncovered until thickened while you prepare the meatballs, about 20 minutes. Purée in a blender to a smooth sauce, making sure there is no lumps. Taste and season to your liking. Let sit for the flavours to mingle.
- "Meatballs": Cook cauliflower florets in the stock until soft (microwave for 10 mins or 15 mins on stove top). Drain. In a tea towel (and using rubber gloves because of the heat), wring the cauliflower over the sink until most of the water is removed. Blitz using food processor or stick blender until it resembles a "mash" consistency. Remove from processor and set aside.
- In the same food processor, blitz the onion, carrot and zucchini. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a small frypan, add the blitzed onion, carrot and zucchini plus the oregano and paprika. Stir over medium heat until slightly browned and cooked.
- Combine the cauliflower mash with the cooked vegetables in the pan and mix to combine. Allow to cool slightly until you can touch it to make the "meatballs". Roll the mixture into tablespoon sized balls. You may need to press the mixture together to encourage it to gel & stick together well. Place on an oven tray, spray with olive oil spray and cook for approx. 15-25 mins, until well browned. Turn at the 10 minute mark, re-spraying the underside with the oil spray.
- To serve: Because there is no binding agent in the balls, they should remain firm, but I wouldn't recommend mixing them with the tomato sauce, like you would "normal" meatballs. Simply make your pasta, lay the warmed sauce on top, then the balls on top of that, garnishing with basil leaves and/or salt and pepper. Enjoy !
Notes
- The balls can be frozen prior to oven cooking stage. The sauce turned out well when defrosting, however was a tad watery.
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Kerry Newbery
August 25, 2015
Just amazing – cooked this tonight for dinner and it was a total success. A little time consuming but totally worth it. Thanks for sharing Joni