Lentil Balls! (Vegetarian)

So this is a recipe I came up with "on the fly" and Brett has fallen in love with it. Though I am not usually one to try to emulate meat, I have found pasta with marinara to be rather lacking since becoming a vegetarian. This recipe has now become a staple in my kitchen and is something that my meat-loving hubby asks for regularly.

The lentil balls are super easy to make and can be used in a number of applications. You can use 'em with pasta and marinara for spaghetti and "meat"balls, or on a hoagie with cheese, mushrooms, or whatever else you want. You can also mash up the balls and use 'em as a filling for lasagne and other pasta dishes.

Baked Lentil Balls!

Lentil Balls

Makes about 10 lentil balls

2-2 1/2 cups lentils, cooked (brown or green work fine)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

8 whole wheat saltine crackers, crushed 

garlic powder (to taste)

onion powder (to taste)

paprika (to taste)

basil (to taste)
oregano (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 450.

Spray a cookie sheet with canola oil.

In a bowl, mash the lentil with a fork, leaving some whole lentils. Season to taste (easy on the salt, the crackers are salted). Add the parmesan and crackers. Mix until well combined.

Crack the egg into the mixture and combine thoroughly.

Using your hands, form mixture into golf ball sized balls.

Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes, flip balls and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!