Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipe Lentil Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
  

• 8 oz. mushrooms, chopped
  
• ½ cup veggie stock, plus more
  
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 2 heaping tsp oregano
  
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
  
• ½ tsp chili powder
  
• 1 cup cooked beluga lentils
  
• 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
  
• 1 T tomato paste
  
• ½ cups oats
  
• 3 T nutritional yeast
  
• Homemade tomato sauce
  
• Pasta of choice or spiralized vegetables

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Heat a non-stick skillet until hot.
2. Sauté onions and mushrooms in water or broth.
3. Allow mixture to cook and begin to caramelize. Add garlic, herbs, spices, and tomato paste.
4. Add ¼ cup stock and let cook for 3-5 minutes.
5. Put the onion mixture into a large bowl.
6. Add cooked lentils, quinoa, oats, and yeast, and mix thoroughly. (Alternate method: Put everything into a food processor and pulse several times until mixture gathers together and you can form balls.)
7. Using a small scooper, form balls. You can also moisten hands and shape into 2-inch balls.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, check halfway. You may want to flip or roll balls onto another side so they brown evenly.
9. Warm tomato sauce (add fresh basil if you have), and toss the baked balls into the tomato sauce to be fully coated.
10. Serve over pasta or cooked spiralized zucchini or squash.