Better Than Meatballs

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cups lentils, cooked

  • 1.5 cups brown rice, cooked in chicken/vegetable broth

  • 2 cups mushrooms, chopped into tiny bits or food processed

  • 1 bunch green onions (6-8), finely chopped

  • 1 egg

  • 1 Tbs. fresh (or dried) rosemary, chopped*

  • 1 Tbs. fresh (or dried) thyme, chopped*

  • 1 Tbs. fresh (or dried) oregano*

  • 3 cloves minced garlic*

  • 3 Tbs. tomato paste

  • 1/2 cup dairy free or regular parmesan (I've made them without the parmesan, and they're still amazing)

  • 1/2 tsp. salt

  • 1/4 tsp. pepper

*If you don't have fresh herbs, you can substitute 1 tsp. of the dried version for 1 Tbs. of a fresh herb. For garlic, about 1 tsp. of garlic powder would substitute for the 3 cloves of garlic. I prefer to use fresh herbs, because fresh always has more flavor!

instructions:

  1. Cook the lentils and brown rice according to instructions (You can also buy precooked of both in order to save time!). While the rice and lentils are cooking, chop the mushrooms, green onions, and fresh herbs.

  2. Preheat the oven to 400. Once the lentils and brown rice are done, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir till well mixed. The mixture will be wet and sticky.

  3. Generously rub olive oil over a large baking sheet. Form bite-size balls out of the mixture, and place on the greased baking sheet.

  4. Cook for 15 minutes. Take the meatballs out of the oven, flip each one, then place back in the oven to cook for another 10 minutes. (It would also work to leave them in for the full 25 minutes without flipping them. They will just be a little more brown on one side, but still taste great!)

  5. We ate them with spaghetti squash and organic pasta sauce. They would also be great with regular pasta, gluten free pasta, zucchini noodles, pesto, or even on a meatball sandwich!