The black beluga lentil meatball sauce is just one of the protagonists of this vegan baked pasta, deliciously topped with a vegetable béchamel with rice milk and almond.

It is not the first time that I try vegetable versions of traditional dishes, give them spaghetti with meatballs at vegetarian lasagna, I like to experiment, giving life to tasty but light dishes, which are not always based on animal proteins. In this vegan baked pasta I wanted to replace black lentils with meat and a 100% vegetable version of the traditional béchamel.

I used a product from the line Scotti Rice Vegetable Drinks, made with rice milk and almond milk, with no added sugar, gluten and lactose free, but rich in vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

A drink suitable for everyone, from lactose intolerant to milk protein allergy sufferers, and for those who want a delicious and healthy alternative to cow's milk.

post made in collaboration with SCOTTI RICE

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE

for 20 meatballs

• 150 g of black lentils
• 1 slice of rye bread
• 1 potato
• Salt and Pepper To Taste

for the tomato sauce

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1 carrot
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 750 ml of tomato sauce
• a bunch of fresh aromas
• salt and black pepper to taste

for the bechamel

for pasta

• 250 g of short pasta
• 50 g of nut mix
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

HOW TO PREPARE VEGAN PASTA WITH MEATBALLS SAUCE

First of all I took care of the meatball sauce.

I boiled the lentils (following the cooking time shown on the package), I drained them and made them cool. Together, I also boiled a potato, without the skin.

In the meantime, I chopped the onion, finely sliced ​​the garlic and cut a carrot into very small cubes. In a large non-stick pan I sautéed the vegetables with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper and, once browned, I took ⅓ of the sautéed, keeping the part.

I then combined the chopped aromatic herbs and the tomato puree, lowered the heat and simmered.

To the warm lentils I added the mashed potato, the bread crumbled by hand, the sauté kept aside, salt and pepper. I blended coarsely with an immersion blender and, with wet hands, formed my lentil patties.

I then cooked them, in a hot oven at 200 °, for 20 minutes, so as to give them cohesion, then I dipped them in the sauce, I mixed gently to cover them with sauce, turned off the heat and covered.

Meanwhile, I boiled the pasta al dente, I drained, cooled and kept aside.

While cooking, I took care of the vegetable béchamel: I toasted the whole wheat flour with extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes in a non-stick pan, I poured the milk at room temperature, mixing carefully with a whisk to avoid lumps.
At this point I brought to a boil, combined salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg, stirring until it thickened.

Everything is ready to assemble ours vegan baked pasta: I dirty the pan with bechamel I placed the pasta, about half, then I poured a part of sauce and some meatballs, bechamel, then again pasta, sauce, bechamel and finally aromatic herbs and chopped cashews.

I cooked the pasta in the oven with vegetable béchamel and meatball sauce for 30 minutes, always in a preheated oven at 200 ° until a delicious crunchy crust was obtained.

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