Bean Balls

My son asked me to make meatballs with marinara the other day this is the recipe I came up with tonight for "meat"balls. I used butter beans and squash in my recipe but really any bean would work as well as most any veggie you have on hand. By using different spices these can take on any flavor you would like. I used equal parts sage, oregano, parsley, and thyme tonight. I also added about 1/2 tsp dried minced onion.

Bean Balls

2 cups cooked beans

½ -1 cup veggies

1 clove garlic

1 cup oats

¼ tsp salt

2-3 tsp spices

Preheat oven to 400º. Place beans, veggies, and garlic in food processor and chop till everything is in very small pieces but not pureed. Add the spices and enough oats so the mixture holds together well. If it gets too dry add a small amount of bean liquid or water. My beans were quite soft and ended up being pretty much pureed by the time I scooped them out but they would be just as good if they were not completely pureed. Scoop out small balls about 1 inch round and place on a stone or baking sheet. Freeze or bake.

Bake for 20 minutes until they are firm and lightly brown.You can flip them half way through the baking time if you want a more even brown on the top and bottom. 

They are ready to eat or you can cook them in marinara sauce. Heat a skillet of marinara sauce to a light simmer. Add the cooked bean balls to the sauce. Stir to coat and then let simmer for 5 min. Serve with spaghetti or in meatball sandwiches.