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?
- Cook your buckwheat according to the instructions on the package until softened
- Meanwhile, cook onion and carrot in a pan with some olive oil until softened
- When your buckwheat is ready, drain it and wash it thoroughly with some cold water to stop the cooking process
- In a blender, process first the parsley, veggie mixture and spices
- Add the buckwheat and blend again
- 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
- When done, place in the 190 C preheated oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until firm and golden brown
- While waiting for the meatless balls to cook, make the red pepper sauce
- In a pan add some olive oil and roasted peppers
- Cook for about 3 minutes and add the spices
- Pour the tomatoes along with a dash of sugar
- Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened
- When ready, process the sauce in a blender until smooth
- After your balls and sauce are done, it is time to plate
- 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
- **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!!
Great post 😁
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thank you
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