Lentil Mushroom Balls in Spiced Tomato Sauce

Steps

1. Put the lentils and 600 g of the water in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer 20–25 minutes until tender. Drain well, mash about half of them roughly, and let cool 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat 14 g of the olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Cook the yellow onion and mushrooms 8–10 minutes until the mushroom liquid evaporates, add half the garlic for 1 minute, then scrape into a large bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment.
4. Add the cooked lentils, breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan, half the parsley, the cumin, paprika, half the salt and the black pepper to the bowl. Mix well and roll into 20 balls.
5. Set the balls on the sheet pan, brush them with 13 g of the olive oil and bake 20 minutes, turning once, until browned and firm and the center reaches 160°F (71°C).
6. While they bake, wipe the skillet, add 5 g of the olive oil, the remaining garlic and the red pepper flakes, and cook 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, the remaining 110 g of water and half of the remaining salt; simmer 15 minutes until thickened.
7. Nestle the baked balls in the sauce and simmer gently 5 minutes.
8. For the salad, toss the romaine, cucumber and red onion with the lemon juice, the remaining 8 g of olive oil and the last of the salt.
9. Serve the balls and sauce topped with the remaining parsley, with the salad alongside.