Spaghetti Squash & Bean Balls

If you've never had spaghetti squash, you are in for a surprise. It really is a great replacement for pasta for those looking for a change, or just wanting to stay away from the wheat and rice pasta alternatives. It does have a little crunch but it's very pleasant, the texture reminds me a little of kelp noodles. Spaghetti squash contains lots of nutrients, including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A & C, and it's low in calories containing about 42 calories per serving. It's just so colorful too. I can definitely get used to this and incorporate it into my meal rotations every now and then. 

This is my second time having spaghetti squash. The first time was with just sauce and that was delicious by itself. But I decided if I was going to do a recipe it would be best to add in some bean balls as well just to make it a more rounded meal. And it was, this was very filling and the bean balls came out great. They definitely added more protein per serving to this meal and left me completely content for quite a few hours. 

I really wanted the bean ball recipe to be easy, using things you may already keep on hand so you can whip these up without too much planning and/or work involved. I also wanted to make this with an option for being low fat, as well as for people with nut allergies, you can add the nuts/seeds if you wish. I did this batch without any nuts/seeds and it was great. Adding them into the mixture will give an extra texture and hardiness to the bean balls. You may think they look a little dry coming from the oven but once you put some sauce on top they come to life. Honestly, I actually found myself munching on the leftover bean balls the rest of the day without any sauce. They held together extremely well too!

Spaghetti Squash & Bean Balls

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash, seeds removed
• 1 jar (25oz.) organic pasta sauce of choice

Bean Balls

• 1 heaping cup of mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil, to saute
• 1/2 cup walnuts or sunflower seeds, optional
• 1 can (15oz) cannellini, northern or black beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannellini)
• 1 cup of rolled oats or bread crumbs, divided (I used GF oats)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, basil, thyme or Italian seasonings (or a mixture of these)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• dash or two of cayenne pepper, to taste
• sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds and place on roasting pan or baking dish, cut side up. If you like you can coat with a thin layer of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the dish and bake on bottom rack for 1 hour. (You will be adding the bean balls to the middle rack about half way through.)

Start assembling the bean balls. Prepare onions, mushrooms and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes and let cool. If using the nuts/seeds, place in food processor first and pulse until coarsely ground, and continue. In food processor place about 3/4 of the beans, sauteed veggies, 1/2 cup of the oats and herbs and spices. Process until combined. Roughly mash the remaining 1/4 cup beans in medium size bowl and add the processed mixture along with the remaining 1/2 cup oats, blend well. Taste for seasoning adding anything extra you may like.

Roll into about 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch balls and place on a baking dish, I was able to get eight jumbo sized bean balls. Put in the oven on the middle rack for the remaining 25-30 minutes of the squash cooking time, they should get at least 20 minutes. Remove both when time is up and let cool. OR...you can also cook the balls in a saute pan using a little olive oil over medium to medium high heat, turning often enough so that all sides brown. (I used the oven method this time)

In the meantime, heat your sauce. When ready to assemble, scrape the sides of the squash from top to bottom all the way around. It will pull easily from the sides resembling 'noodles' as shown below.

Serve squash 'noodles' topped with sauce and bean balls. Add some chopped fresh basil on top for some extra flavor! Serves four. Store leftovers in an air tight container (leftovers were great).

Enjoy!

Notes: If you don't care for oats or breadcrumbs...you could use cooked rice instead, or quinoa. Substitute the cup of oats/breadcrumbs for a cup of cooked rice/quinoa adding it in at the end when adding the mixture to the roughly mashed beans. The rice/quinoa would be a great alternative to the oats, it's just an extra cooking step unless you buy pre-cooked rice or have some extra leftover quinoa on hand.

Adapted from two recipes...one from Whole Foods and the other from The Vegan Stoner