Watch video above for the recipe and scroll down for the written ingredients! 

Lately I’ve been in the mood for noodz… haha yes, I just said that – why am I such an embarrassment to myself?

But seriously, I’ve been sooo into noodles lately, I don’t know what has gotten into me! I mean, I’ve always liked noodles but I’ve been more of a rice person. But I swear I’ve been eating some form of noodles every day for the last 1-2 weeks. And LOVING IT. So definitely stay tuned for more yummy noodle recipes.

One of the types of noodles I’ve been craving lately is spaghetti. Specifically, I’ve been weirdly craving the classic spaghetti & meatball dish. So I really wanted to make a vegan version and here we are!

I can’t recall the last time I made vegan meat balls but I’m so happy with how these turned out. They are delicious, nicely browned on the outside, stayed in tact, and best of all – they are super healthy! Made of very simple ingredients and so much healthier than a real meat ball. I hope you guys enjoy.

Vegan Spaghetti & Meatballs

Lentil Meatball Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp each of dry basil, thyme & oregano
• 1 cup dry green or brown lentils (not red lentils)
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds + 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup nuts/seeds of choice (I used pumpkin seeds, almonds, pecans & pine nuts)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 – 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1. Heat a little oil on a sauce pan or pot over medium high heat. Add onion & cook for a couple minutes until soft.
2. Add in garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, dry lentils, water and vegetable stock and bring to a boil on high heat.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes or until water has evaporated.
4. While the lentils are cooking, prep your flax egg by adding in ground flax seeds with water and mixing well. Set aside in the fridge to thicken.
5. Add nuts/seeds into a food processor and process until finely chopped.
6. Once the lentils have done cooking, place into a mixing bowl. Add the nut/seed mixture, flax egg mixture and nutritional yeast. Mix well.
7. Give it a taste to see if you need to add some salt – I added about 1/2 tsp.
8. Add in breadcrumbs and mix well. Feel free to add less or more depending on how wet the mixture is. You don’t want it too wet but also don’t want the mixture to be too dry.
9. Air fry at 370 degrees for about 12-14 minutes (or until nicely browned/crispy on the outside but soft on the inside), turning them half way. You can also pan fry them with a little oil or bake (I haven’t tried this, but you can try at 370 degrees for about 20-30 minutes – turning them halfway).
10. Serve right away or refrigerate/freeze for later. Goes great with spaghetti and tomato sauce!!!