Do you ever get into phases with food? I do. I’ll absolutely obsess about something for weeks. Eating it almost daily until I simply can’t eat any more. I’ve been on an avocado toast kick that has lasted months. And that’s exactly what’s happening to me and un-meatballs. It’s becoming an addiction. The meatballs I made for the Super Bowl have taken over my life. I’m loving them. So this might be a bit of a thin post -what with only a couple tweaks from the last version but I just couldn’t help but share. They were too good not to! And after making an obscene amount of lentils for the original recipe, I had some extras laying around that I froze until I couldn’t stand not eating meatballs, and then whipped up another batch with a few Italian-inspired tweaks.

I whipped these up after work one night, so I didn’t have the patience to make a full batch, take any prep photos, or to cook the mushrooms ahead of time. They definitely had a stronger mushroomy flavor this time around, so if you’d prefer to not taste the mushrooms as much, go ahead and give them a quick cook first. I also made a smaller batch than last time, not needing 18 meatballs. (Though I would have eaten them all anyway)

What you’ll need: 

• 1 cups cooked lentils
• 3/4 cup finely chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons egg replacer (with 5 tablespoons water – or however your egg replacer directs to make an egg)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups store-bought marinara sauce (if you’re lazy like me)
• 1 cup whole-wheat pasta of your choice (I used shells because it’s what I had on hand)

Add all the ingredients together in a bowl, until everything is well mixed and starts to stick together. Roll the  meatballs into about one-inch balls and make sure to pack them together well (especially if you haven’t already cooked the mushrooms, they can use some extra oomph getting packed together). Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the meatballs to the pan, keeping a close eye on them and turning as necessary.

In the meantime, cook whole wheat pasta, and warm up some store-bought sauce. (I added a bit of spinach to mine for more greens). When your meatballs are done, top the pasta with them and add sauce. Voila. A relatively easy work-night dinner that will leave you extremely satisfied while also feeling healthy.