Spaghetti & Mushroom Meatballs

Believe it or not, Spaghetti & Mushroom Meatballs actually contains no meat but still tastes absolutely amazing. This vegetarian recipe, adapted from KeepInItKind.com, uses mushrooms and lentils  to form scrumptious and flavorful meatballs. The list of ingredients might look a little long but most of the work is done by the food processor. You can also easily prepare them ahead of time for a quick meal- simply refrigerate uncooked meatballs (stop after Step 4) in a covered container until ready to use. When you're ready to eat them, let meatballs sit out a few minutes, then bake and simmer as directed.


Spaghetti & Mushroom Meatballs
Gluten Free
Serves Two

Ingredients:
Meatballs--
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. liquid egg substitute
2/3 cup canned lentils, drained
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp.  tomato paste
1.5 tsp. gluten free soy sauce
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
3/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried sage
a couple dashes of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs
Spaghetti--
1 cup low-fat marinara sauce (such as Classico Tomato & Basil)
2 packages Miracle Noodles
2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh Basil, thinly sliced, to taste


1. Preheat  oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with  non-stick spray.

2. Heat a medium skillet to medium high heat and spray with nonstick spray.  Add the mushrooms and  spread them into an even layer. Let mushrooms cook, without stirring, until golden on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes. Stir mushrooms, and  continue to cook until golden on all sides, 3-5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

3. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to the bowl of a food processor. Add in the liquid egg, lentils, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, liquid smoke, herbs (basil, thyme, sage), cayenne, 1/4 tsp. salt  and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Pulse mixture until it is fairly smooth and all ingredients are combined.

4. Pour breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl, then add the lentil-mushroom mixture and stir until just combined.  Using heaping tablespoonfuls, form little balls with the lentil mushroom mixture and place them on the prepared baking sheet.  You should end up with 10-12 meatballs.

5. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove baking sheet from oven and carefully flip all of the meatballs (just use your hands to reshape them if they get a little smashed), and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, until slightly golden on the outside.

6. Once the meatballs are flipped and returned to the oven, begin  preparing the spaghetti.  Place the marinara sauce in a medium saucepan, and bring to a gentle simmer, over medium high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low, and let sauce simmer, stirring occasionally.

7.  Drain noodles in a colander and rinse with water. Use paper towels to dry noodles thoroughly, then cut them up into smaller pieces with kitchen shears. Transfer noodles to a medium microwave safe bowl and season with salt and pepper.

8. Microwave noodles for 1 minute. Stir in 2 tbsp. of marinara sauce, cover, and microwave 1 minute more.

9. Once meatballs are finished baking, add them to the simmering sauce. Stir to fully coat all of the meatballs, then raise heat to medium- low and continue to cook meatballs for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

10. Divide noodles between two serving plates. Top each plate of noodles with 5-6 meatballs, then spoon remainder of sauce on top. Finish each plate with 1 tsp. of parmesan cheese and fresh basil, to taste.

Nutrition Information--approximately 205 calories per serving