Vegetarian Meatballs

Give yourself time to prep and make the Vegetarian Meatballs before boiling the water and preparing the Spaghetti.

• Cook the lentils and brown rice ahead of time and allow them to cool.
• Chop the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaf. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
• Remove the bay leaf. Add salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Stir to coat the vegetables evenly. Add a splash of sherry vinegar to deglaze the pan.
• Turn off the heat and let the vegetables cool down before they are added to the rest of the ingredients.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine ¼ cup of seasoned breadcrumbs with ½ cup of milk. Stir and set aside.
• Once the vegetables, brown rice, and lentils have cooled, add them to a food processor along with the hydrated breadcrumbs. Pulse until smooth and well combined.
• Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the Pecorino Romano, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Once you're satisfied with the flavor, mix in the egg. Gradually add more breadcrumbs until the mixture comes together and is less sticky.
• Preheat the Oven to 400 °F
• Grease a baking sheet with a little olive oil. Lightly coat your hands with olive oil for easier rolling. Using a rounded tablespoon, scoop out the vegetarian meatball mixture and roll into balls. Place them on the baking sheet, leaving space between each. Repeat until all the mixture is used.
• Place the vegetarian meatballs in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes.
• Remove the vegetarian meatballs from the oven and let them cool before proceeding to the next step.

Spaghetti

• Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously.
• Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions or until it reaches your preferred texture.
• While the spaghetti is cooking, heat up the tomato sauce.
• In a separate small or medium sauté pan, add some heated sauce, leaving the majority of the sauce in the other pot to warm for the spaghetti. Coat the cooked vegetarian meatballs in the sauce, cover, and let them warm through before serving over the spaghetti. Heat for just a couple minutes and remove from the heat. Leave covered until ready to serve.
• When the spaghetti is finished cooking, drain it well using a colander.
• Add the spaghetti back to the stockpot you boiled it in, and add several scoops of tomato sauce to the spaghetti. Stir well to coat the spaghetti evenly.
• To plate add a scoop of spaghetti, some vegetarian meatballs on top, some extra sauce, and a pinch of pecorino romano cheese.