Pasta with Plant-Based Swedish Meatballs
When you hear "Swedish meatballs," you probably immediately think of mashed potatoes, a cream sauce, and lingonberries. Today, however, we're swapping out one component of this dreamy combination, as mashed potatoes turn into pasta! You may think that it's audacious and impossible, but we promise you that the pasta version is in no way inferior to the Swedish classic. On the contrary, we could hardly stop devouring this incredibly comforting meal – you just can't go wrong with pasta and cream sauce (and the lingonberry jam is an extra in this version, too, of course)!
The vegan cream sauce is the same one we would make for the mashed potato version. It's just a bit more liquid to help it coat the pasta wonderfully. Speaking of which, you're spoiled for choice when it comes to the type of pasta for this dish. Long pasta will give you some spaghetti and meatballs flair, while the combination short pasta with vegan Swedish meatballs is something you could just shovel into you. We decided on bucatini today, a long, tubular pasta in which the vegan cream sauce can make itself extra cozy.
For the vegan Swedish meatballs, we don't have to reach into the fridge or freezer today but into our pantry. That's because the seven brand-new "VeggieMix" varieties from Bauckhof moved in there, and we'll be cooking more pasta dishes with them this year. Today is the turn of their VeggieMix Köttbullar, which contains rice flakes, wheat protein, ground flaxseed, mushrooms, and nutritional yeast, among other ingredients. Like all their dry mixes, you only need to mix it with water and neutral oil, then let it sit briefly. Next, form the vegan meatballs with your hands and pan-fry them. In addition to vegan Köttbullar, they also have versions of vegan bolognese, Bratwurst, and Gold Nuggets, which are grain-based and made with pulses and vegetables. We find them delicious and very convenient to take along on trips, as the products don't need to be refrigerated. You can find them now in the organic grocery stores and online!
Pasta with Plant-Based Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
For the pasta and vegan Swedish meatballs:
- 250 g (9 oz) pasta (e.g. bucatini)
- 180 g (6.5 oz) "VeggieMix Köttbullar bio" from Bauckhof
- vegetable oil for frying
For the vegan cream sauce:
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- approx. 400 ml (1.66 cups) vegetable broth
- 250 ml (1 cup) plant-based heavy cream
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch allspice
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- salt
- pepper
For serving:
- lingonberry jam
- parsley
Instructions
First, prepare the vegan cream sauce: peel and finely dice onion and garlic. Melt vegan butter in a small pot. Add onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. Whisk in in the flour thoroughly so that no lumps form. Then add vegetable broth, plant-based heavy cream, and tomato paste, stirring until a smooth sauce forms. Add the bay leaf and season the sauce with salt, pepper, and allspice. Let the vegan cream sauce simmer over low heat until the pasta and vegan meatballs are ready.
In the meantime, cook the pasta according to package instructions until it's al dente. Reserve some of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
Mix the vegan Köttbullar mix according to package instructions: add cold water and neutral oil, mix thoroughly, and let it sit for about 2-3 minutes. Afterward, you can form approx. 20 vegan meatballs from the mixture.
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the vegan Swedish meatballs until they're nicely browned on all sides.
Add the cooked pasta to the vegan cream sauce and toss to coat. While doing this, add as much of the pasta's cooking water until you have a silky sauce. Divide the pasta and vegan meatballs on two serving plates. Add some lingonberry jam and sprinkle with parsley.
