Fettuccini with Walnut Gobs

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If you’re a fan of spaghetti and meatballs, here is your plant-based answer to that traditional favorite. This Fettuccini with Walnut Gobs is so much healthier than any meat-based version of meatballs.  Nutritionally, this walnut and mushroom interpretation is far superior to traditional meat balls.  They provide fiber, phytonutrients, and that uber protein – plant protein!  You won’t find those beneficial goodies in old-fashioned meatballs.  And talk about tender and moist!  Back in our meat-eating days, we never had a meatball that was as good as these Walnut Gobs.  We believe you won’t even think about going back to meat-based meatballs after a dinner of Fettuccini with Walnut Gobs.

Oil-free pasta sauce is still a little challenging to find on store shelves.  Currently, these varieties are oil-free, but you should always check the ingredients label before buying, in case the manufacturer’s recipe has changed:

Walnut Acres Organic Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce

Muir Glen Organic Pasta Sauce Portabello Mushroom

This rich dish goes well with a low-calorie side such as a big, leafy salad topped with a squeeze of orange for dressing, or a mix of chopped fresh fruit.  Consider a side of your favorite steamed vegetables such as green beans, asparagus, or carrots too.    This is another “company-friendly” meal that guests will love.  We’ve served it to friends and family whose initial apprehension about a vegan meal was quickly, and happily, dissuaded with this dish.

Fettuccini with Walnut Gobs

 

When buying panko crumbs, read the ingredients label.  It should be oil-free and contain only real (not industrial chemicals) ingredients.  We’ve found Emeril’s Original Panko Bread Crumbs meets these criteria.

Fettuccini with Walnut Gobs

By January 24, 2014

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup - panko bread crumbs
  • 1 15 oz can - pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium - onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbs - finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 cup - walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1 8 oz pkg - mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped
  • 1 16 oz pkg - whole-wheat fettuccini or spaghetti
  • 1 26 oz jar - oil-free pasta sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Measure the bread crumbs into a bowl and set aside.
  2. Mash the pinto beans and set aside. You can use your hands for this, squishing the beans until they hold together.
  3. In another bowl, combine the onions, parsley, walnuts, and mushrooms. Using your hands, massage the mashed beans into the mushroom mixture until the entire mixture holds together enough that you can shape it into balls (gobs).
  4. Shape the mixture into about 17-18 balls, roughly 1.5 ounces each, about the size of a ping-pong ball. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
  5. About 15 minutes before ready to serve, cook the pasta according to package directions, and heat the sauce.  Drain the pasta.
  6. To serve, top the pasta with sauce and 2 or 3 Walnut Gobs per plate.

 

Tips

Panko bread crumbs are a specially-prepared type of bread crumb, and one of the few commercially available bread crumbs without a long list of strange (read industrial chemicals) ingredients. If you can't find them, grind a good quality whole-grain bread in your food processor to use instead.

 

Nutrition Information

Nutrition (per serving): 528 calories, 61% calories from carbohydrates, 14% calories from protein, 25% calories from fat, 15.5g fiber.

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