Nutrition Per Serving:
Meatballs with Lentils and Tomato Sauce + 1 cup Mixed Vegetables
Calories: 400
Protein: 35 grams
NET Carbohydrate: 22 grams
Meatballs:
Ingredients
• 1 lb lean ground chicken
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• ½ cup Feta cheese, crumbled
• ¼ cup Parmesan, grated
• ½ teaspoon Basil, dry
• ½ teaspoon Fennel
• ¼ teaspoon Paprika
• ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 425° F. Heat Olive Oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat.
2. When oil begins to glisten, add the diced onion and saute until it becomes soft and translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. While onions and garlic are cooling, add ground chicken, panko, egg, feta, parmesan, basil, fennel, paprika, black pepper and sea salt in a medium bowl and combine until ingredients are mixed together well. Add your cooled onion/garlic mixture and combine.
4. Roll the chicken mixture into 1” balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Roast in the oven for about 18 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Sauce:
Ingredients
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, no salt added
• 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon oregano, dry
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme, dry
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5-10 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook for about another minute.
4. Add red wine and increase heat to high being sure to scrape the pan regularly to remove brown bits from the pan. Cook until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Stir in tomatoes, basil, parsley, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, black pepper and sea salt.
6. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.
Lentils:
Ingredients
• 1 cup dried green or brown lentils
• 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
1. Place the lentils in a strainer, sift through and remove any shriveled lentils, debris or rocks and thoroughly rinse.
2. Transfer the rinsed lentils to a small saucepan and add water.
3. Bring the water to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Continue to cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes. If needed, add water as needed to make sure the lentils are just barely covered.
4. Strain the lentils when they become tender, return the lentils to the pan and season with sea salt.
Serve with steamed zucchini, eggplant and red bell pepper!
Plate a quarter of the finished meatballs over ½ cup of lentils. Serve tomato sauce over the meatballs. Finish your meal with steamed vegetables.
