This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Heinz Ketchup for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you have been reading this blog long enough, you know I like to say “Makes Me Happy!”
You know what Makes Me Happy? Heinz Ketchup.
Why? Because they offer organic ketchup with no high-fructose corn syrup!
I make a lot of things homemade to avoid unhealthy ingredients, but I draw the line at having to make my own ketchup, and thanks to Heinz, I don’t have to!
Heinz ketchup put together a Heinz Super Bowl spot for this year’s game that is sure to make YOU happy. I got to preview it and it made me chuckle. It made me very happy to have a commercial that the whole family can enjoy. You can Watch the Heinz Super Bowl spot below, then tell me if it made you happy.
Heinz is also running a photo promotion where you can share a photo of you and your family showing off your love for Heinz. It is called Show Us Your Heinz. When I first read about this, I was reading too fast and thought it said “show us your hiney.” That, too, made me chuckle. Leave it to Heinz to make me happy that people are not showing us their bums.
On to this awesome recipe.
The happiness theme continues. I was super happy to see a sauce made from just 3 ingredients. Ketchup (Heinz of course!) lemon juice, and grape jelly.
You can make this simple sauce and toss your favorite meatballs in it. To make it even more simple for those Super Bowl Games & parties, you can buy frozen meatballs and just whip up the sauce. Throw it all in a slow cooker and keep a jar of toothpicks nearby for guests to serve themselves.
I used the sauce with this great Lentil Meat-less Balls recipe. They were delicious. We didn’t miss the meat one bit! A great little snack with a nice punch of plant protein–now THAT makes me happy!
Lentil Meat-Less Balls
2 Cups Cooked Lentils
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 Cup Ricotta (I used pureed cashews, add water until ricotta-like consistency)
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (I used nutritional yeast)
1 Large Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 tsp. Fennel Seed, crushed
2 Tbsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
Hefty pinch of Dried or Fresh Thyme
1 tsp. Each Sea Salt and Pepper
2/3 Cup Breadcrumbs (fresh or panko, preferably)
Sauce:
1 cup Heinz Organic ketchup
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup grape jelly ( look for jelly with no high-fructose corn syrup in it!)
Meat-less Balls:
In a food processor or high speed blender, pulverize the lentils into mush.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the breadcrumbs. Mix well.
Add the breadcrumbs. Mix and let sit for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Check the lentil mix by rolling a 1″ round ball between your palms, it should hold together fairly well. If it seems pretty wet and is falling apart, stir in another Tbsp. or two of breadcrumbs until the ball will stay together. (I had to add quite a bit more breadcrumbs)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease well. Roll the mix into balls and line them up on a baking sheet (they don’t need lots of space between, they won’t spread). If you like a bit more of a crust, brush them with oil.
Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown, gently turning the balls over halfway through baking. Remove to cool slightly.
Sauce:
Melt sauce ingredients in a pan, stirring constantly. Pour over meatballs. Can keep it all warm in a slow cooker with toothpicks nearby for serving at parties!
