Veggie Lover's Pasta Sauce (and Lamb Meatballs...)

 

My thought process for tonight's din went a little somethin' like this: ground lamb = meatballs = spaghetti & meatballs.  I made a sauce,  dumping a TON of veggies in (surprise surprise). 4 cups portabella mushrooms, 4 cups fresh kale, carrots, celery, onions and fresh garlic.  That simmered for a couple hours. Then the lamb meatballs simmered for several more hours.  The result (on top of spinach fettucini) was delightful.  

Veggie Lover's Pasta Sauce

2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

4 cups chopped kale (1/2 bunch)

4 cups chopped portabella mushrooms

2 small onions, diced

2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 c)

2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 c)

6 cloves garlic, finely diced

1/2 c olive oil

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 cup red wine

1 cup veggie stock (or water)

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 dried bay leaves

*love*

Prep all veggies.  For the kale, cut or rip the tender leaves away from the tough stalks (throw those away).  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Next, add the kale, mushrooms and basil and saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves and wine and let it simmer over low heat for at least an hour. 

Meat Lover's Lamb-balls

1 lb lamb (or beef....or turkey....or chicken, I suppose)

3 cloves finely diced garlic

2 tbsp finely chopped shallots

1 egg white

1 handful (1/4 c?) bread crumbs

Salt & Pepper (a few cranks from the grinders)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp basil, finely chopped  (or parsley)

Mix up well with your hands (it's the ONLY way).  Form into 16 little balls.  Make however many balls you want, really.  I find this size nice for frying/eating/portioning.   Heat a saute pan to medium high.  Brown meatballs for 5-7 minutes on each side. Flip them around until they're golden brown on the outside.   At this point, you can throw them into your sauce (let it go for another hour or so) or you can preheat your oven to 375 degrees and finish them off for 10-15 min. 

 Nutritional Info (2 oz pasta, 1/2c sauce, 2 lamb-balls)

507 calories

25 g fat

49 carb

20 g protein

Then I made garlic bread....1/2 stick of softened butter, tsp olive oil, 4 large basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic and some fresh Parmesan spread over a loaf of Kroger Italian bread...baked for 15 min on 400.  Finished it off with more spinach (can't get enough veggies!) and a glass of vino.