Spaghetti and (Lentil) Meatballs

Logan and I are having an Italian date night. I have been wanting to experiment with lentils in place of ground beef so tonight was the first test! Turned out oh-so-yummy :) Lentils are WAAAY cheaper than ground beef and have the same amount of protein with far less fat! You gotta try it. Don't tell dad that it's lentils -- see what he says :)

To make the meatballs you will need:
1 1/2 c dried lentils
3 c vegetable broth (I used 3 c water + 1T boullion)
1 small onion -- diced
3 garlic cloves -- minced
cooking spray
1/3 c + 1T ground flaxseed
1 egg
1/4 c breadcrumbs (I used Italian)

Boil lentils in broth for 45 min to an hour (until they get soft). Saute the garlic and onions until soft. Drain the lentils. Take 1c lentils, half of the onion/garlic mixture, flaxseed, and the egg and blend in a blender until smooth. Then, dump that mixture as well as the remaining lentils and the breadcrumbs in a bowl and mash with a fork until only some of the lentils remain whole and the breadcrumbs are mixed in. Form balls (about 25-30) and put in sprayed pan. Brown each "side" of balls on med-high heat.

I dumped marinara sauce over them and heated the sauce with the meatballs after they were browned.

Serve over spaghetti :)

Here's Logan's plate before he devoured it --