SPAGHETTI AND 'LENTIL' BALLS

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:

1x medium Red Capsicum

3x Tomatoes

4x Garlic

1x large Carrot

1x large Zucchini

1x 400g canned diced tomatoes

400g Passata tomato puree

1x medium Brown Onion

1 cup of spinach

2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Pinch salt and pepper

Lentil balls:

2x 400g canned lentils, drained

4x Sourdough or wholemeal bread slices

1 brown onion

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of parsley, chopped

1 cup spinach, chopped

1/4 tsp dried Thyme leaves

1x egg

Pinch salt and pepper

3x Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:

Sauce:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius

2. Cut up all tomatoes, capsicum and 4 cloves of garlic (I kept the skin on), put them on a lined baking tray, and add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil as well as some salt and pepper.

3. Put the tomatoes, capsicum and garlic in the oven and roast them for about 20 minutes, until soft and fragrant

4. Grate carrot and zucchini

5. In a saucepan, saute the onion in a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil until translucent, then set aside

6. In a large saucepan, lightly saute the carrot and zucchini for a few minutes.

7. Once tomatoes, capsicum and garlic are ready, add them too the large saucepan with the carrot and zucchini and squeeze the garlic out of their skin and add the tomatoes and capsicum.

8. Using a blender, blend until your desired sauce consistency

9. Add the onion, passata sauce and canned tomatoes

10. Let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally .

11. Add the spinach and some salt and pepper, cook for another 10 minutes on low heat.

12. Cook spaghetti as per packet instructions

Lentil Balls:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius

2. Roughly break up the bread into fine pieces and toast in oven for about 5 minutes or until golden

3. Blend toasted bread in a food processor, these are your bread crumbs.

4. Drain and rinse lentils

5. Roughly chop parsley and spinach

6. Finely dice onion and garlic (put 1/2 of these cuts aside)

7. Satue 1/2 the onion and garlic which some oil and a pinch of salt, set aside

8. Using a large bowl, add the lentils, sauted and raw onion and garlic, 1/3 the bread crumbs, spinach and parsely, egg, and thyme. Using your hands mix to combine.

9. Take about a 1/3 of this mixture and puree in a food processor

10. Add puree back into mixture and mix to combine

11. Make balls with the mixture and coat in bread crumbs

12. Using a non stick pan, cook the balls with the reminding extra virgin olive oil, cooking each side for a few minutes until golden (I recommend batch cooking- cook a few at a time)

Serve with spaghetti topped with the sauce, 3 balls, a little more sauce and some cheese.

Enjoy :)

This meal is vegetarian and can be made gluten free if you use gluten free bread to make the bread crumbs

*makes roughly 18 balls

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

This Spaghetti and ‘lentil’ balls is rich in fibre, protein and is loaded with veggies.

It has a pretty good amount of protein due to the lentils, and egg - you could also add cooked quinoa for extra texture and protein

it also provides a good source of Iron from the lentils, spinach, egg and bread combined with vitamin C from the tomatoes and capsicum to aid absorption.

This is a great warm, hearty, healthy and most importantly tasty dish that will keep you full and satisfied and will be a family favourite.

*Making your own bread crumbs will provide more flavour as well as more control in regard to what bred you use. It provides more fibre to the dish.

Extra virgin olive oil is used through out this dish quite sparingly, it is full of antioxidants, healthy fats, it will help you stay fuller and provides more flavour than other oils.