Lentil Meatballs with Lemon Pesto by Heather

This has to be one of my favorite recipes.  There's actually no meat in these meatballs, just lentils and cheese, but you won't miss the meat.  Lentils are a somewhat recent discovery for me- I always thought they would be bland and dry, but they're so tasty!   This is another recipe adapted from Sprouted Kitchen- I love Sara's recipes.  They're always packed full of flavor and healthy without making you feel like you're missing out on anything.  I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 cup lentils (I use brown lentils)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup ricotta (use whole milk or goats milk)
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 Cup Breadcrumbs (use fresh breadcrumbs if you can find them)

Lemon Pesto Sauce:
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or toasted almonds
Zest and juice of two lemons
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups basil leaves
1/4 - 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
2-4 Tbs. water to thin if necessary



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook lentils according to package directions.  There's normally a ratio of 2 cups of water to 1 cup of lentils.  Cook without lid until all liquid is absorbed and lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the meatball ingredients (except for the breadcrumbs) into a medium bowl and combine.  Once the lentils have cooled, add them to a food processor and blend into a paste.  They should look like this:

Add the lentils into the bowl with the rest of the meatball ingredients and mix well.  Add in the breadcrumbs, stirring to combine.  Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.  Try to use parchment paper over foil if you can.  I've found that if you use foil, the lentils tend to stick and burn on the bottom.  Now it's time to make the meatballs.  The mixture tends to stick to your hands a little, but if that happens, just make sure your hands are a little wet.  Make as many small balls as your baking sheet will allow.  They should look like this:

Bake the meatballs for 15-20 minutes.  You want them to be fully baked through, but don't cook them too long or they will dry out!

While the meatballs cook, make the pesto.  Combine all of the ingredients into the food processor and blend until smooth.  I like my pesto to be a little bit on the chunky side- the nuts add a nice bit of crunch when drizzled on the meatballs.

Once the meatballs are done, drizzle the pesto over the meatballs on a plate and sprinkle with fresh parsley and Parmesan.  Enjoy!