Meatballs in tomato sauce served with french fries is a big thing in Belgium. Pure comfort food that takes me back to my childhood. Though I am not sure if you can call it a national dish, next to Belgium stew and vol-au-vent I think it kinda is.

However, since a few years now I committed to a vegan diet, so the original meatballs in tomato sauce are no longer on the menu but that doesn't mean I cannot create my own 100% plant-based version. I must say it came out great, if not better than the real thing.

I think next time I go to Belgium to visit family and friends I will make these and ask their opinions. My hubby is a fan, and he is Belgian too. But he might be biased as he loves vegan food and doesn't eat meat very often. maybe once or twice a month.

MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE SERVED WITH SPICED SWEET POTATO FRIES

INGREDIENTS (serves 3)

For the vegan meatballs

3/4 cup dried adzuki or mung beans, uncooked and rinsed (we used a mix)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated carrots
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup unsalted peanut butter (we used homemade peanut butter)
1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Black pepper and sea salt to taste

FYI: CLICK HERE if you want to learn how to make your own peanut butter at home. It is super easy. The only thing you'll need is peanuts and a little bit of coconut oil. Oh and a blender of course.

For the veggie tomato sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 cups finely chopped bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped zucchini
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 cup water
Black pepper and sea salt to taste

For the spiced sweet potato fries

2 big sweet potatoes, cut into fries
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
Black pepper and sea salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

To make the tomato veggie sauce

Heat cooking oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
Then add bell pepper and zucchini. Stir well and cook for a minute or 2 before adding the tomatoes, water, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. When ready, mix half of the veggie mix in a blender and add to the veggie sauce mix.

To make the "meatballs”

Optional: Soak the beans for a few hours to overnight. This will speed up the cooking process.
Bring beans and water to a gentle boil in a medium-sized pot. When boiling reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the beans are tender. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes if you pre-soaked the beans. Add more water if needed. When ready drain off any excess water.
Meanwhile, saute onions until soft and fragrant. Stir in the garlic and carrots and cook for a few minutes more.
Combine cooked beans and the onion-carrot mix in a blender together with all other meatball ingredients, except the peanut butter. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. Do not overprocess you want to keep some texture in the mixture. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the peanut butter.
Make small meatball out of the mixture.
Heat coconut oil over medium to medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs, gently tossing the pan to roll the meatball over so they can brown on all sides.
Combine meatballs and tomato sauce.

To make the sweet potato fries

Preheat oven to 200˚C or 400˚F.
Add the fries to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the herbs on top and drizzle with oil. Toss to evenly coat. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Toss halfway through.