Lentil Meatball Sandwich

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup of prepared, cooked brown lentils
• 1 tsp fresh or dried oregano
• 1 tsp fresh or dried thyme
• ½ tsp of ground paprika
• ½ tsp of garlic powder
• 1-2 Tbl nutritional yeast (nooch)
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ¼ tsp salt
• pepper, to taste
• 3 Tbl ground flax meal
• 7 Tbl water
• splash of liquid smoke or vegan Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp coconut oil
• fresh basil for garnish
• ½ cup of marinara sauce, or my recipe for spicy penne rosa sauce
• 2 buns/hoagies (go gluten-free for a gluten-free recipe)
• vegan cheese shreds (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Either by hand or with a food processor, mash up your lentils just a little so that they are the consistency of a dough or ground "meat."
3. Add in your oregano, thyme, paprika, garlic powder, nutritional yeast (nooch), red pepper flakes, if using, Italian seasoning, and salt and stir until all are well incorporated or pulse a few times in a food processor. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, mix together your ground flax meal with your water and stir until the flax meal and water mixture thickens, for about 2 minutes.
5. When your flax meal and water mix has thickened, add it to your lentil mixture and stir until everything is well incorporated.
6. Add the liquid smoke or vegan Worcestershire sauce to the lentil, flax mix.
7. Mold your lentil mix into meatball sized balls. If your mix isn’t holding together very well, add either a little more water, or add a little more flax. Add more water if the mix feels dry and is crumbling apart. Add more flax if your mix is too thin and won’t keep it’s shape.
8. Place your meatballs onto a baking sheet with the coconut oil, and bake until crispy on the outside, for about 15-18 minutes.
9. While your meatballs are baking, prepare your sandwich by adding your marinara or spicy penne rosa sauce to a bun and mincing fresh basil. Top with lentil meatballs and some vegan cheese

Original Recipe