A recipe for meatless meatballs? While this isn't exactly a Creole Italian recipe, because Italians and Creoles alike love their sausage - this vegan recipe is perfect for our friends who are vegan or vegetarian. Don’t worry, Dagostino’s never forgets the Creole Italian twist!
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, diced
- 1 cup half yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cooked Camellia Brand Lentils, cooled
- 1 cup cooked Camellia Brand Black Beans
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, plus whole basil leaves for garnish
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoons salt, (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper, (or to taste)
- 1 24-ounce jar Smooth Tomato Sauce
- 1 pound Dagostino Crawfish Shaped Pasta, cooked according to package instructions
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray cooking oil on the parchment paper and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add finely chopped and diced onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add onion and garlic to a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in cooked lentils, cooked black beans, basil, Italian seasoning, walnuts, tomato paste, salt, and pepper until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Transfer mixture to the cup of a food processor and pulse until a tacky dough forms.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop heaping amounts of the mixture and roll into balls; set meatballs on a lined baking sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Heat 1 jar of tomato sauce in a large pot over low heat, this will act as your Marinara sauce
- Coat cooked meatballs in sauce, then remove from heat.
- Boil Crawfish shaped pasta in a pot of boiling salted water according to packaging directions or until al dente.
- Serve meatballs and sauce with cooked pasta. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, if desired.
Protip: Add your desired amount of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat if that’s your thing!
About this Recipe
This Vegan meatball recipe is a great source of nutrients and protein - thanks to the inclusion of Camellia’s world-class beans. The usage of Dagostino smooth sauce and Crawfish shaped pasta provides the Creole Italian twist we all love and makes this meatless meatball recipe the star of the dinner table!
Credit to Cooks with Soul for the recipe and photography:
Krysten is a Maryland-based recipe developer and photographer. She is also one-half of the popular food blog, Cooks with Soul, where she and her husband, Marrekus, publish recipes and digital content. When she's not busy with her food blog and photography business, she works part-time as a behavior analyst with kids who have autism and related disorders. Krysten is a mom of three and a self-proclaimed cheer mom, football mom, and special needs parent.
