“Meatless” balls with roasted red pepper sauce

It’s December, the temperature outside is below 0 degrees. Meaning that the only thing I am willing to do in this freezing weather is to sit at home and enjoy myself. But let’s be honest what’s a perfect day at home without a favorite comfort meal? As every other Sunday when I have finished all my work, I like to head to the kitchen and experiment with different ingredients and dishes. This particular Sunday I was craving a comfort meal, which could still be healthy and delicious. Inspired by the famous American recipe – meatballs in tomato sauce, I came up with the so called “meatless” balls, which consist of buckwheat and spices. To level up the traditional tomato sauce, I added some roasted peppers, which gave the dish a nice kick. Since I felt like my Sunday experiment was successful, I decided to share it with you. It’s fairly easy to make and it is perfect for a family lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

For the “meatless” balls:

1/2 cup of buckwheat

1 carrot

1 onion

1 garlic clove

1 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Oregano

1 tsp. Paprika

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

Parsley

2 tbsp. Flour

*Note: feel free to replace the buckwheat with lentils, chickpeas or any other legume

Salt & Pepper

For the sauce:

1 can tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

3 roasted peppers ( you can also use raw)

1 tsp. Basil

Salt & Pepper

1 tsp. Spicy paprika(optional)

Salt & Pepper

What to do?

1. Cook your buckwheat according to the instructions on the package until softened
2. Meanwhile, cook onion and carrot in a pan with some olive oil until softened
3. When your buckwheat is ready, drain it and wash it thoroughly with some cold water to stop the cooking process
4. In a blender, process first the parsley, veggie mixture and spices
5. Add the buckwheat and blend again
6. Transfer in a big bowl add the flour, mix with your hands and start forming medium sized balls as you would to for regular meatballs
7. When done, place in the 190 C preheated oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until firm and golden brown
8. While waiting for the meatless balls to cook, make the red pepper sauce
9. In a pan add some olive oil and roasted peppers
10. Cook for about 3 minutes and add the spices
11. Pour the tomatoes along with a dash of sugar
12. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened
13. When ready, process the sauce in a blender until smooth
14. After your balls and sauce are done, it is time to plate
15. In a spaghetti bowl, place some of the sauce on the bottom and put your balls on top, for some additional color chop up some parsley
16. **For extra flavoring feel free to also add some Parmesan or any other kind of cheese

I hope you enjoy the recipe and let me know if you end up making it!!