Swedish Neatballs

Inspired by a yummy meal my daughter and I enjoyed at Epcot Center a few years ago, I wanted to recreate vegan Swedish meatballs and gravy over pasta and green beans.

It’s a classic, comforting dinner if you’re having a hard day.

September is suicide prevention month, so I just wanted to leave you with this: “whatever helps you make it to tomorrow does not make you weak.”

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Ingredients

Neatballs

• 1 cup TVP soaked in 1 cup boiling water until absorbed, about 1 minute
• 2 Tbsp plant-based whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp tamari
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp each umami mushroom powder, garlic powder, and salt
• 1/4 tsp each onion powder, paprika, ginger, cumin, black pepper, and oregano
• ½ cup flour
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil for frying

Gravy

• 2 1/2 Tbsp plant-based butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth (or water + 1 Tbsp tamari + 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast)
• 1/2 cup plant-based whipping cream
• 1 tbsp umami mushroom powder
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 pack of fettucine
1-2 cups of cut green beans

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Directions

Start the water boiling for the pasta in a large pot.

In a medium bowl, mix all the neatball ingredients together except for the olive oil. It will make a nice thick mixture that you can form into about 16 little balls with your hands.

Heat a large pan over medium heat, then add the olive oil and swirl it around to cover the bottom. When the oil is hot, drop the neatballs in. Cook them for about 10-15 minutes, turning them over every couple of minutes, until the outsides are nice and browned.

Scoop the neatballs out of the pan and rest them on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.

Add the fettucine to the boiling water along with a good shake of salt.

In the same neatball pan, while the pasta is cooking, make the gravy. Add the plant-based butter and flour to the pan with all the neatball juices, then whisk until it comes together and turns brown. Slowly stir in the broth and plant-based cream, followed by the umami powder and dijon mustard. Simmer until the gravy starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Add the green beans to the boiling pasta about 3-5 minutes from the end of cooking, depending on how crunchy you like your green beans, then drain the pasta and green beans together.

Return the pasta and green beans to the pan, pour the gravy over and mix well, then serve with the neatballs on top. Delicious!