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Vegetarian Meatballs

Vegetarian meatballs served over a bed of pasta noodles, topped with marinara sauce and garnished with fresh basil & Parmesan
  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  20 min
  • Cook Time:  45 min

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Roma tomatoes, halved
  • 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
  • 1 cup dried lentils, (or 2½ cups cooked)
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, tough part of stems removed
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (see Note)
  • 12 ounces pasta, cooked
  • ½ cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh basil

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with racks in the upper ⅓ and lower ⅓ positions. 
  2. Prepare the tomatoes. In a large bowl, toss together the tomato halves along with 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ cup of the olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side on a large rimmed sheet pan.
  3. Make the meatballs. If using dried lentils, place them in a small saucepan and fill with enough water to cover them by 4-inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain.
  4. Add the mushrooms to a food processor, pulse until they are about the size of peas.
  5. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onion and cook, stirring often until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the mushrooms and cook, stirring for 3-4 more minutes, until the moisture has burned off and the garlic is fragrant. Remove the skillet from the heat.  
  6. Transfer the onion and mushroom mixture to the food processor along with the cooked lentils. Pulse until combined, about 20 pulses, scraping down halfway through.
  7. In a large bowl combine the lentil mixture along with the panko, remaining 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, cayenne, remaining 1½ teaspoons salt, eggs, and Parmesan cheese. 
  8. Roll the mixture into 1½-inch balls (about 2 tablespoons each). You should end up with about 24 meatballs. Arrange them on a second large rimmed sheet pan. Lightly brush the meatballs with olive oil.
  9. Place both baking sheets in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the 2 sheet pans and flipping each of the meatballs at the 15-minute mark.
  10. To serve, in a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta together with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, fresh basil, roasted tomatoes, meatballs and more freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

If you do not eat Parmesan cheese because it contains rennet, you can swap the freshly grated parmesan for a vegan version of the same quantity.