Dara P - Vegan Spaghetti Marinara w/ Lentil Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed and drained

1 8-oz. package button or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and chopped

1 onion, chopped (1 cup)

3 small cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce

2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1 teaspoon onion powder

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 lb. dry whole grain spaghetti

6 cups purchased oil-free marinara sauce

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Instructions:

In a large saucepan combine lentils and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cover and cook about 15 minutes more or until lentils are tender. Uncover and cook until any remaining liquid has evaporated.

Stir in the next seven ingredients (through salt and pepper). Cook, uncovered, over low about 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and pan is very dry, stirring occasionally. (Watch carefully so lentils do not scorch.) Spread mixture in a shallow baking pan; cool completely.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a 15×10-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Scoop out 2 Tbsp. lentil mixture, shape into a ball, and place in prepared pan. Repeat to make about 20 lentil balls. Bake 50 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions. In a saucepan heat marinara sauce. Drain spaghetti, return to pot, and toss with 3 cups of the warm marinara sauce.

To serve, top spaghetti with lentil balls and top with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with basil.

While you’re not going to think it’s a meat ball, it’s good enough that even my non-vegan husband said this was a make again.

One tip I think make’s this a lot easier - instead of dried lentils start with two cans of drained lentils and go ahead with mushrooms on down through the recipe. This saves time with the dried beans, and I found that when I made it with the dried beans they didn’t get as soft as the canned lentils. The softer beans are key for this recipe and making the balls.