Wow..that seems like quite a verbose title! But I am excited since I finally came up with an alternative for meatballs that is high protein, made from whole/natural ingredients ( No TVP here), lower in fat, does not come from a grocery store freezer etc. etc. and is Tasty to boot. These Meat(less) balls are steamed, so the frying is eliminated and also the baking step in the oven for those who are not fortunate enough to have one. The Meat(less) balls are quite robust and do not break apart even after soaking in sauce for a long time, even overnight. Perfect for Spaghetti and Meat(less)Balls!

So what are the ingredients of this wonder food? And how did I stumble upon them? Quite by chance, honestly.. I have always regretted not being able to partake of the universally loved spaghetti and meatballs, since the meatballs are almost always made with meat that I did not eat. Even though I don’t really know how a meatball does and should taste, I have seen numerous shows on TV and the usual spices are used.

I can only assume that any ‘typical’ taste comes from the meat. Since this is not an option for me, or any other vegetarian, my main aim was to have a base of robust ingredients and then typical spices such as garlic, pepper etc.

Many recipes I found on the internet use only walnuts, or tofu, or mostly breadcrumbs etc. I am using Mung Dal – the yellow one. I couldn’t praise this humble dal/lentil enough. Mung is easy on the tummy, high in protein and is even revered in Ayurveda for boosting metabolism. I used almond as my nut, only because I had them, but walnuts will also be great here. I use milk powder, which is commonly available in India, to add some more richness or sweetness and to tone down the strong flavor of the mung dal. This is in lieu of Parmesan cheese, which is not too readily available to me right now, and is almost always expensive ( the good kind is).

I roast the Dal and the nuts initially to get a toasty aroma. I use freshly ground black pepper which is Very Important to get a strong flavor. Just dumping some of your McCormick powder will not really do it. The secret ingredient here is fennel seed or saunf. The only reason I used it is because I Like it so much. I could have gone with the typical dried Italian spices such as basil or oregano, but I wanted something different and the fennel always seems exotic to me. Plus this gives a kind of Italian sausage flavor which went with the whole concept.

You can serve these as mini meatballs on skewers with a dipping sauce as appetizers, or just with some tomato sauce, or over some nice spaghetti. I used a jar of ragu for the sauce, but you can use any tomato sauce you want for this. 365 Organic has some nice pasta sauces which are economical as well as fresh tasting.

The detailed recipe for spaghetti and meat(less) balls is as follows –

This recipe made about 16 ping pong ball sized ‘meat’ balls. They were very filling and sumptuous and it was difficult to eat more than two or three at a time. The fennel and peppercorns flavored the dish beautifully. This is a very healthy and tasty recipe that you should definitely try especially if you are a vegetarian. This can be easily veganized by omitting the milk powder and adding something similar such as nutritional yeast.

You can try several variations such as different spices, adding sauteed spinach, using a different kind of lentil etc. You can totally ditch the pasta and eat these only with the sauce and a salad for a very filling low carb feast. The oil used here is minimal and only for flavor. Overall, at the risk of sounding like a braggart, this dish is a winner!