A Better Spaghetti and Meatballs

I finally tried a dish that I've been talking about for months but hadn't actually gotten around to.  It's a vegan pet peeve of mine when I see chefs, authors and other "authorities" trying to come out with meatless dishes that look, feel and taste the same as the original.  It's insulting to a meat eater or anyone else to say that eating processed soy aka fake meat is just the same as the original.  I don't think it's healthy or smart to take a highly processed soy product and dress it all up into something it isn't.  I've been saying for months that I think these chefs would be wiser to try to re-invent rather to re-create a classic meat lovers dish like spaghetti and meatballs. 

So, here is my healthy version that is full of fresh vegetables, heart healthy oil, complete protein, antioxidants and the list goes on and on...

The "pasta" is actually sliced ribbons of zucchini and carrot.  Once in ribbons I added a dash of olive oil and steamed it for just a few minutes:

The "meatballs" are a mixture of lentils, rice, oats, spices, olive oil, and balsamic vinager.  They baked for about 10 minutes and came out like this:

I placed the vegetable pasta on a plate and tossed it with a variety of different color and style of tomatoes.  I added fresh basil and then placed the meatballs.  I must say that it turned out to be the prettiest dish I've ever made.  It was also extremely filling--something I didn't expect but honestly I struggled to finish the plate. 

I will definitely do this one again.  It required a good amount of prep work but it's just so pretty and now I can really speak with authority when I say that there really is a better way to do spaghetti and meatballs.