what what what?

i love meatball subs! i’d never made one, or meatballs, but my gut knows what it likes and i followed it’s lead through this recipe. and you what my gut did? it cooked me a delicious sub.

most of the sandwiches i’ve had use beanballs but i’ve had a hankerin’ for seitan so these are seitan and lentils! this takes a while, so it’s not a bad idea to make the meatballs ahead of time (you can even freeze them).

makes 3 subs and extra meatballs for freezing. halve the recipe to make just enough for the sandwiches.

“MEAT”BALLS

2 carrots, grated

1/2 an onion, diced fine

1/2 c. red lentils

2 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp liquid smoke

1 tsp bragg’s or tamari

1 tsp each: basil, sage, oregano

2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce

1/3 c. nutritional yeast

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 3/4 c. vital wheat gluten

1 – 1 1/3 c. hot broth (start with 1 c.)

bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook the red lentils with the bayleaves until soft (about 15 minutes). strain and rinse with cool water (discard bay leaves). get a large steamer ready while you prep the rest!

in a large bowl, mash them up, then add all ingredients except broth and wheat gluten. now i must admit that i wasn’t being the most exact measurer in this instance, but i would add 1 cup of hot broth and stir with a fork, then slowly add the vital wheat gluten and it should absorb and become stretchy and alive. if it’s powdery dry, add broth bit by bit just to moisten. you want a stretchy moist ball of weird dough. shape mixture into 1 inch balls. then wrap in squares of tin foil. i bring two opposite corners together, fold the edge over, then bring the two remaining corners up and twist. you can do it however you want so long as it’s well sealed! steam for 35 minutes (until firm). if you have a very crowded steamer it could take up to 10 minutes longer.

MARINARA

oil

1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1/2 onion, cut fine

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

big pinch chili flakes

4 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste.

saute onion in a small pot until translucent. add garlic, stir and cook until fragrant. add remaining ingredients, bring just to a boi then simmer for 15 minutes.

THE SUBS

1 wide wholewheat baguette

jack style daiya wedge

3-4 meatballs per sandwich

marinara

nutritional yeast for sprinkling

so, i feel the jack style wedge is pretty integral in this particular recipe. it melts in a way that the shredded stuff doesn’t, and makes the sub magical. cut your baguette into 3 sections, the slice almost all the way through. toast in the a warm oven while you prep the meatballs. in a large pan, fry the meatballs with a couple tbsp of oil until just browned, then add the marinara and cook for 10 minutes on medium-low. once the bread is toasted, arrange slices of cheese on one half of each section, then return to the oven and broil for a minute or two (just until it begins to melt). top with meatballs and evenly distribute the sauce. sprinkle with nutritional yeast. eat!