Vegan Meatball Sub Bake

My oldest daughter’s favorite meal has always been a meatball sub.

I don’t blame her, they are delicious. That said, they are also messy and I have 4 kids to clean up after. So over the years I discovered this vegan meatball sub bake makes them just as happy as a big messy sub does.

It also works great for feeding the extra gaggle of teens that are often at my house. They don’t even care that is vegan, and often go back for seconds.

If you don’t want to use Beyond Burgers, then use any plant based meatball you prefer. A little heads up though, my local Costco has started selling packs of 8 beyond burgers for around $14!! Less than $2 a burger. So even if I use 4, this meal is still far cheaper than eating out!

I LOVE making meatballs with thawed Beyond Burgers because they remind me the most of real meatball.

We top the meatballs with our perfect all purpose vegan cheese sauce, after letting it get extra thick and stretchy! It makes the perfect gooey mozzarella for this recipe. Lastly, we top it with buttery, toasty garlic bread! I’m telling y’all, this dish will more than likely be a hit with who tries it, vegan or non vegan! So forget trying to bite into a messy meatball sub, and turn it into this vegan meatball sub bake!

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INGREDIENTS:

• 4 thawed Beyond Beef burgers, or a bag of your favorite frozen plant based meatballs

• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (a mix of thyme, sage, basil, marjoram, rosemary, and oregano) if you do not have Italian seasoning feel free to add a combo of any of the listed spices

• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

• 1 flax egg

• 1 loaf french bread

• 1/2 batch All Purpose Vegan Cheese Sauce

• 1-2 tablespoons vegan butter

THE SAUCE: ( or use a favorite pre-made sauce)

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 1 small 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes

• 1/3 red wine (optional)

• 2 teaspoons crushed garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

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INSTRUCTIONS:

Meatballs:

1. Mix thawed burgers, panko bread crumbs, garlic, spices, and flax egg together in a bowl.

2. Once well combined, form meatballs with a small scoop, or spoon, and place them on a baking pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper for easier clean up.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sauce: (you can also easily use store bought sauce)

1. In a medium sized sauce pan, sauté onions and garlic in 1 teaspoon of oil, and a teaspoon of salt, until onions are translucent.

2. Add the wine, and let it cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Add the cooked meatballs, and let simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes.

The Casserole:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Scoop sauce and meatballs into a 9x13 or large casserole dish.

2. Prepare cheese sauce according to directions, allowing it too cook until it is thick and stretchy.

3. Evenly top the meatballs with dollops of the cheese sauce,

4. Slice the french bread into 1/2- 1 inch thick slices and place evenly on top of the cheese sauce. Spread softened vegan butter over the bread. Sprinkle with garlic salt or any other seasoning you may like .

5. Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for around 20-25 minutes. You just want heat the casserole through and toast the bread.

   Serves 4-6

If you like this recipe, try these:

Beyond Meatball Stuffed Challah

Savory Cranberry Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes

Stewed Sauerkraut with Lentil Meatballs

Vegan Meatball sub bake using beyond meat burgers

Vegan Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole

My mom doesn’t love to cook. That said, she taught me most of what I know about cooking, and is actually a really good cook (if you ask her she will claim the opposite, I think just to get her out of the task she doesn’t enjoy.) Since going vegan I have really missed some of the dishes she always made us. One of my favorite easy dishes she always makes is tater tot casserole. It’s cripsy tater tots, ground meat, all the “cream of” soups, and piles and piles of cheese. It took me a few tries to veganize this favorite comfort food, but once I did, it was game on. Obviously my kids love this dish! It has kids casserole written all over it. But I am a fully grown women and always go back for seconds. We use our easy vegan all purpose cheese sauce to sub in for all the “cream of” soups and the cheesy top! It works like a dream. You can use any meatless crumbles you like, but we always just thaw some Beyond Burgers and crumble them up. As a side note, I started finding Beyond Burgers at Costco and for half the price you find them at the grocery store, so be on the lookout if you are a Costco shopper! if you have ever had tater tot casserole in you per vegan days, and have been missing it, it’s finally time to rejoice. If you have never had it, let me tell you, it’s the most comforting, easy, gooey, cheesy, casserole recipe, ever!!! And thanks again to my mom for teaching me how to cook all those years ago!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag frozen tater tots

• 1 yellow onion

• 1 package meatless crumbles, or we used 3 thawed Beyond Meat Burgers

• 1 batch Easy Vegan All Purpose Cheese Sauce, divided

• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

INSTRUCTIONS:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Line a 9x13 pan with a single layer of tater tots.

2. Dice yellow onion. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Sray the pan with a little oil, and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent.

3. Add the meatless crumbles or the thawed burgers. If using the burgers, break them up using a spatula and cook until the “meat” is cooked though. Sprinkle the “meat” evenly over the tater tots.

4. Prepare the cheese sauce according to the directions. Divide the heated sauce. Pour half of the sauce over the tater tots and meatless crumbles, using a spatula to evenly spread it. Leave the other half of the sauce in the pan.

5. Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons turmeric and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika to the other half of the sauce and whisk well. This will give the sauce a smokey cheddar flavor and color.

6. Evenly spread the cheddar sauce over the top of the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

7. Allow to cool a little before serving.,

If you like this recipe, try these:

“Chicken” Divan with Jackfruit

Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Vegan Italian Noodle Bake

Classic tater tot casserole made vegan using our easy all purpsoe vegan cheese sauce

Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd’s pie is not a food I grew up eating. To be perfectly honest, I had never even heard of it until I married my husband, and he expressed his great dislike for traditional shepherd’s pie. I was in full agreement that the meaty version full of peas, and carrots and what ever else was in there sounded awful. Then recently our friend Deanne had us over for dinner, and served a vegan lentil version of shepherd’s pie, and much to my surprise, I liked it. I actually really, really liked it! Savory lentils and veggies topped with creamy mashed potatoes. What is not to like!!! It took some convincing to get my husband to try it when I decided to make my own, but when I did he ate two helpings!! So the husband is now a convert, the shepherd’s Pie ban has officaly been lifted, and I will now be adding this deliciously easy dinner to our regular rotation! Thanks again Deanne for proving us wrong!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup dried green lentils

• 2 carrots, finely diced

• 1 small onion, finely diced

• 2 celery stalks, finely diced

• 2 cups chopped mushrooms

• 3 cups vegetable broth

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 1 teaspoon Vegetable Better Than Bouillon (optional, but adds flavor)

• 3 large russet potatoes

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter

• 2 tablespoon vegan cream cheese

• splash of milk

• salt and black pepper to taste (for the potatoes)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.

2. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and allow to cook unit the onions are translucent and soft.

3. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the lentils, broth, and spices and reduce the heat to simmer. Let the lentils simmer for about half an hour to 45 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are soft.

5. While the lentils are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until they are soft and you can poke a fork through them.

6. Drain water from potatoes and mash using a hand masher or an electric hand mixer, adding in the butter, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. If they seem too thick, add a splash of milk.

7. Scoop cooked lentils into a pie dish or shallow casserole dish and top with the mashed potatoes.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the shepherds pie for about 25 minutes.

9. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley if you like before severing.

If you like this recipe, try these:

“Chicken” Divan with Jackfruit

Loaded Vegan Roasted Red Potatoes

Cheesy Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

Vegan BBQ Cheddar Fries with Slaw

If you know me at all, you know my love for fires. The worlds most perfect carb. The only way they could possibly be better is if you add cheese sauce.

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I would eat them everyday and I am afraid to admit to you just how often I do eat them. I mean I air fry them half the time so that has to make it ok, right?!?!

Anyways, the only thing I love more than fries is loaded fries. Piled high with toppings and always some kind of cheese.

We make Bbq jackfruit pretty often because its cheap and easy. Dump two cans of jackfruit into a crock pot with some bbq sauce and leave it alone. Dinner when you get home that takes 5 minutes to prepare. We often have leftovers and once upon a time the leftovers yielded these glorious fries!!

Deliciously easy jackfruit bbq, easy vegan slaw, and the best vegan cheddar cheese sauce, ever. All piled high onto of homemade crispy fries!!

Remember if you don’t want to fry them in oil and own an air fryer, that will work just fine! I set mine to 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes depending on how many fries I am making. I give the basket a little shake a time or two while they are cooking to help them not stick and to move them around a bit.

Also If you don’t feel like making them yourself you can just buy frozen! I won’t judge you. I have 3 bags of frozen Trader Joes fries in my freezer right this moment. Some days call for frozen foods. Thats all there is to it!

The cheese sauce is pretty easy to make and good on sooooo many things, if you happen to have any leftovers you can use it on lots and lots of stuff. It makes a tasty chip dip, its delicious on baked potatoes, in a quesadilla, on nachos, or even drizzled over chili!

So if you are looking for a new loaded fry and love bbq, look no further! These things are so good and pretty addictive. And if you eat fries more than twice a week, just know you are not alone in your love of the worlds most perfect carb.

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Ingredients:

• 4 - 6 russet potatoes

• oil for frying

BBQ Jackfruit:

• 2 cans jackfruit in brine

• 1 bottle bbq sauce

Vegan Cheddar Cheese Sauce:

• 1/2 cups cashews soaked overnight, or covered in water and microwaved for 3 minutes then drained

• 1 cup water

• 2 tablespoons corn starch or tapioca starch

• 1 teaspoon light miso paste

• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 teaspoon smoke paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

The Slaw:

• 14 oz bag of shredded cabbage

• 1 carrot

• 1/2 small yellow onion

• 1/3 cup vegan mayo

• 1-2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• optional, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

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Instructions:

1. FOR THE BBQ JACKFRUIT; Drain both cans. Chop or shred the fruit. I find it easiest to just use my fingers to shred the jackfruit. Add the jackfruit and BBQ sauce to a crock pot on medium heat for 6 - 8 hours. You can also cook it on the stove top if you prefer. Just add jackfruit and BBQ sauce to a large pot and cook on medium/low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. The longer the BBQ cooks, the more flavorful and convincing it will be. I prefer the crockpot method for this reason, but it works fine to cook it on the stovetop.

2. TO MAKE THE CHEESE SAUCE; Add all of the ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor, and blend until completely smooth.

3. Transfer the cheese mixture to a medium pot and heat on medium/low heat, whisking continuously until the cheese begins to thicken to a queso consistency. If it gets too thick, you can add a little more water to thin it back out.

4. FOR THE FRIES; Wash your potatoes and cut them into fries. Heat a few inches of oil in a deep skillet (I use a cast iron skillet) on medium heat. Once the oil is nice and hot, start adding small batches of the fries to the oil. Allow them to fry until nice and crisp, about 5 minutes. Once they are done frying, remove from oil and place on a wire cooking rack with some paper towels underneath. This will help them stay crispy while you finish frying the rest.

5. FOR OVEN BAKING; Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat fries in a few teaspoons of oil and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure the fries are not over crowded. Sprinkle with salt and bake for about 15 minutes or until the fries seem crispy on one side. Take the cookie sheet out of the oven, and turn the fries with a spatula or a pair of metal tongs. Put the fries back in the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the fries seem fully crisp.

6. FOR THE SLAW; Shred the carrot using a box grater and finely dice the onion. Add onion, carrot, and cabbage together in a bowl. In a smaller bowl combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour the wet mixture over the cabbage mixture and stir well.

7. Top fries with BBQ jackfruit, cheddar sauce, and slaw to serve.

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Serves 4 - 6.

If you like this recipe, try these

Gorgonzola and Balsamic Glazed Chips

Philly Fries with Beer Cheese Sauce

Vegan Ruben Latkes