Recipe Collab: Zucchini Noodles and Vegan Meatballs with Red Sauce

What's more comforting on a cold day than a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs? We teamed up with our friends at Veggie Noodle Co. to give this classic dish a vegan, gluten-free makeover using their zucchini noodles in place of pasta, topped with "meatballs" made from lentils and Toasted Quinoa

 
Zucchini Noodles and Vegan Meatballs with Red Sauce (2).jpg
 

Ingredients:

Vegan Meatballs:

  • 1 cup cooked green lentils (cooled)
  • 1 cup cooked I Heart Keenwah Toasted Quinoa (White or Tricolor) (cooled)
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbs water)
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 Tbs onion powder
  • 1 Tbs garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 Tbs dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1  Tbs nutritional yeast
  • sprinkling of sea salt and fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Noodles:

  • 1 (10.7oz) container of Veggie Noodle Co. Organic Zucchini Spirals 
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • fresh parsley (optional)

Sauce:

  • 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought is fine)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Pulse the lentils, quinoa, almond flour, flax egg, olive oil, onion, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper in a food processor until a coarse paste-like dough is achieved.
  3. Transfer mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes (this resting step will make it easier to roll into vegan meatballs).
  4. Roll dough into meatball shapes by hand (approximately 1 Tbs per meatball) and place on prepared baking sheet, bake for 30 minutes (turning the meatballs halfway through the cooking process).
  5. Once the baking is complete, drench the meatballs in room-temperature marinara sauce.
  6. Separately, sauté zucchini noodles in olive oil on medium heat for 4 minutes.
  7. Transfer noodles to serving plate and top with marinara sauce and vegan meatballs.
  8. Garnish with fresh parsley. 

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