Ingredients

The following ingredients have 6 Servings
  • 1 cup dried lentils (or 2 1/2 cups cooked)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 small onion, about 1 cup chopped
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, tough part of stems removed
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 3 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt, divided
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese
  • 2 lbs roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • fresh basil
  • cooked pasta for serving
  • more parmesan cheese

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 400°F
  • In a large bowl toss together tomato halves along with 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp of salt and 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Arrange tomatoes on a large baking sheet cut side up, set aside.If using dried lentils, place them into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat
  • Cover them plenty of with water, about 4 inches
  • Bring them to a boil before turning the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until they are tender but not mushy
  • Drain any excess water and set aside.Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until they are about the size of peas
  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan set over medium-high heat
  • When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes, until translucent
  • Add garlic and the pulsed mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 more minutes until the moisture has burned off and the garlic is fragrant
  • Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the contents back into the food processor along with the lentils
  • Pulse until combined, about 20 pulses scraping down halfway through
  • In a large bowl combine mushroom lentil mixture along with panko bread crumbs, 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, cayenne, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, eggs and parmesan cheese and stir to combine
  • Roll the mixture into 1 ½ (2 tablespoons) balls, about 24 and arrange them on another baking sheet
  • Lightly brush or spray the meatballs with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil or cooking spray.Bake the meatballs and tomatoes for 30 minutes, rotating the 2 baking sheets and flipping the meatballs at the 15 minutes mark.Once tomatoes and meatballs are roasted toss them together with cooked spaghetti, ¼ cup of olive oil, fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese.