Expectations and Spaghetti Squash with Lentil Meatballs
I think a lot in life depends on our expectations. I’m not arguing that you should constantly manage your expectations so as to never face disappointment. But let’s be honest… it’s really easy to be disappointed when you have high expectations. Take New Years Eve or Valentines Day for example. Expectations (and prices) get inflated, and they usually kind of suck. It’s always the nights when you say on your way out of work, “I was really planning to just go home and eat some leftover veggie burgers and watch Hardball, but okay, I’ll go have one drink” that turn into the best sorts of adventures.
This dish is an example of the latter. Honestly, my expectations were low, which I verbalized to my family several times while standing in front of the stove. I’d not read all the way through the recipe, so I didn’t have time to let the meat(less)ball batter set. I was convinced that they were going to be soggy, flat and just downright mediocre. And then I found myself licking my plate and going back for seconds.
This recipe sounds inherently healthy, but it actually wasn’t. There were a lot of eggs, breadcrumbs, and cheese. I took some steps to lighten is up, including replacing the egg with egg white and subbing in nutritional yeast for 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. I also recommend using fat-free ricotta if you can find it. It’s a binder, it’s not going to strongly impact the taste.
Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce and Lentil Meatballs
Adapted from Snapfood
Ingredients
1 large spaghetti squash
1 cup lentils
2 cups water or vegetable broth
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup spinach, finely chopped
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt & pepper, to taste
1 jar marinara
Cooking spray
To roast the spaghetti squash: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoot out the seeds and fibers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place upside down on a greased baking sheet. Cook for about an hour, or until skin gives under pressure and the inside is tender. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a fork, scrape out all of the flesh, a little at a time. It will come out in spaghetti like strands. Put it into a strainer to remove excess moisture.
Lentil Meatballs:
Cook 1 cup lentils in a saucepan with 2 cups water or broth. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, then cover and let cook for 30-45 minutes or until lentils are soft. Let cool drain any access juice. Transfer lentils to a medium bowl, add ingredients through salt and pepper, and hand mix until everything is well combined. If you have the time, refrigerate the mixture for 3 hours to set. I didn’t do this and they turned out just fine. Form into 2 tablespoon sized balls and cook in a greased frying pan for a few minutes on each side to brown. Push the balls down a little bit if they seem to be cooking unevenly. And flip often to make sure they fully cook inside.
To Serve: Arrange spaghetti squash on a plate. Spoon sauce on top of the squash and then arrange a desired number of meatballs (probably 4-5) on top of sauce. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, if desired.
Serves 4-6 generously
