Spaghetti with Lentil “Meatballs”

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Preparation info
  • Makes about

    15

    balls
    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
The Forest Feast Mediterranean: Simple Vegetarian Recipes Inspired by My Travels

By Erin Gleeson

Published 2019

  • About

Countries around the Mediterranean have their own way of making and serving meatballs. In Spain, we saw albondigas on tapas menus, sometimes served in a sauce with toothpicks. In Italy, polpette may be served alone or even in soup. This is my vegetarian twist on the common dish, served with pasta.

Ingredients

  • lentils 1⅓ (264 g) cooked brown lentils (I used a 15-oz/425-g can, drained)
  • Breadcrumbs ½

Method

Mix the ingredients well then roll the mixture into 1-in (2½-cm) balls. Fry them in a generous amount of olive oil on med/low, turning a few times, until browned on all sides. I serve them hot over spaghetti with marinara sauce, sprinkled with fresh thyme. They are also great as an appetizer served with toothpicks and marinara or pesto for dipping.