Meatballs in tomato sauce served with french fries is a big thing in Belgium. Pure comfort food that takes me back to my childhood. Though I am not sure if you can call it a national dish, next to Belgium stew and vol-au-vent I think it kinda is.
However, since a few years now I committed to a vegan diet, so the original meatballs in tomato sauce are no longer on the menu but that doesn't mean I cannot create my own 100% plant-based version. I must say it came out great, if not better than the real thing.
I think next time I go to Belgium to visit family and friends I will make these and ask their opinions. My hubby is a fan, and he is Belgian too. But he might be biased as he loves vegan food and doesn't eat meat very often. maybe once or twice a month.
MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE SERVED WITH SPICED SWEET POTATO FRIES
INGREDIENTS (serves 3)
For the vegan meatballs
3/4 cup dried adzuki or mung beans, uncooked and rinsed (we used a mix)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated carrots
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup unsalted peanut butter (we used homemade peanut butter)
1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Black pepper and sea salt to taste
FYI: CLICK HERE if you want to learn how to make your own peanut butter at home. It is super easy. The only thing you'll need is peanuts and a little bit of coconut oil. Oh and a blender of course.
For the veggie tomato sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 cups finely chopped bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped zucchini
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 cup water
Black pepper and sea salt to taste
For the spiced sweet potato fries
2 big sweet potatoes, cut into fries
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
Black pepper and sea salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
To make the tomato veggie sauce
- Heat cooking oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Then add bell pepper and zucchini. Stir well and cook for a minute or 2 before adding the tomatoes, water, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. When ready, mix half of the veggie mix in a blender and add to the veggie sauce mix.
To make the "meatballsโ
- Optional: Soak the beans for a few hours to overnight. This will speed up the cooking process.
- Bring beans and water to a gentle boil in a medium-sized pot. When boiling reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the beans are tender. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes if you pre-soaked the beans. Add more water if needed. When ready drain off any excess water.
- Meanwhile, saute onions until soft and fragrant. Stir in the garlic and carrots and cook for a few minutes more.
- Combine cooked beans and the onion-carrot mix in a blender together with all other meatball ingredients, except the peanut butter. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. Do not overprocess you want to keep some texture in the mixture. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the peanut butter.
- Make small meatball out of the mixture.
- Heat coconut oil over medium to medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs, gently tossing the pan to roll the meatball over so they can brown on all sides.
- Combine meatballs and tomato sauce.
To make the sweet potato fries
- Preheat oven to 200หC or 400หF.
- Add the fries to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the herbs on top and drizzle with oil. Toss to evenly coat. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Toss halfway through.
FYI: For green smoothie tips, tricks, and recipes, download my FREE GREEN SMOOTHIE EBOOK HERE!
ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL!
PICTURE(s) TAKEN WITH NIKON D5600 AND HUAWEI Y9
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