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Vegetarian Sweet and Sour Porcupine “Meatballs”

Servings 24 meatballs
Calories
Author Louisa

Ingredients

For Meatballs:

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup lentils
  • 1 cup Minute Brown Rice
  • 1/2 small onion , diced
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 egg , beaten
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For Sweet & Sour Sauce

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

  • First, you will need to cook the lentils. You can do this earlier in the day to save on some prep time if you'd like, as they do need to cool slightly. In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water and salt to a boil. Add lentils and drop the temperature down to a very slight simmer. Cover and let simmer for about 25 minutes, checking about every 7-10 minutes to be sure there is still plenty of water and the lentils aren't burning. The lentils will be done when water has boiled out and the lentils are tender. Roughly mash with a fork while hot and set aside to cool down.
  • Once the lentils are cooled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and start working on your mixture for the meatballs.
  • Add the lentils to a large bowl along with the Minute Brown Rice, onion, oats, cheese, egg, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Mix really well until it's all combined. It may work best to use your hands to be sure everything gets worked together.
  • Once mixed, begin forming into golf-ball-sized meatballs and placing in a baking sheet prepared with non-stick spray. The spray is important or your meatballs will stick to the pan!
  • Place in the hot oven for 25 minutes, taking them out about half way through and gently turning them over to be sure they brown on both sides.
  • During the second half of the baking, it's time to make the sauce. Combine all sauce ingredients in a large skillet. (You'll want to use one that is large enough to place all your meatballs in without crowding them or having to layer them on top of each other.) Whisk all ingredients together, bringing to a boil. Once it starts to boil and thicken up, it's likely your meatballs will be browned and ready to be placed in the sauce.
  • Very gently add the meatballs to the sauce, spooning sauce over the tops. Cover and let boil for about 10 minutes. You'll want to gently stir the sauce and meatballs every so often just to ensure that they aren't sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  • Once the sauce has thickened, the meatballs are ready to serve. You can either serve plain with skewers for an appetizer or on top of a bed of rice or quinoa for a full meal.