"Meat"balls and Rice

 












Okay, I was nervous to have Brad try this one.  How can I make a meat-o-saurus eat vegetables instead of meat?  And with brown rice?  Brown?  Impossible!  But I made it last week and, gasp, he actually liked it!

Here we go...

Veggie Meatballs
1 medium onion
1 medium eggplant
3 cups portobello mushroom
2½ cups dried bread crumbs
 
½ tablespoon dried parsley
½ tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chili pepper
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
 
2-3 large eggs, beaten
⅓ cup Parmesan, grated
⅓ cup grated Pecorino
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Sauce
1 can tomato sauce
1 green pepper in slices
1 cup grape tomatoes halved (optional)
 
Directions

Finely chop all of the vegetables (very fine).  Put them in a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs.  Add spices and coating, let sit for 20 minutes so the breadcrumbs can absorb the flavor.

Spray cookie sheet with olive oil.  Form mixture into 1-1½ inch balls.  Lay out of cookie sheet.  Spray on top with olive oil spray.

Cook on 400 for 20 minutes, until the outside is hard.  Let cool.

 
Now let's make the sauce.  Make tomato soup as you would normally, add the green pepper slices and tomatoes, heat on medium to a rolling boil, then reduce heat.

Add meatballs to sauce.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  The meatballs will get crumbly but that's okay, it makes the sauce better.

Serve over brown rice and enjoy!