• Boil a big pot of salted water for the pasta, meanwhile prepare everything else.

Make the sauce:

• Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute. Mix in the black pepper, oregano, salt, and brown sugar and cook for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is melted. Add the crushed tomatoes, cashews, and nutritional yeast, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes.
• Let the sauce cool slightly, then purée in batches in a blender until smooth, adding each batch back to the pot. Lift the lid carefully between pulses to let steam escape. Once smooth, keep warm over low heat.

Make the mini meatballs:

• Fit your food processor with the metal S blade. Add the garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add the onion and pulse until minced — no big pieces or they will affect the texture of the meatball. Transfer the onion and garlic to a mixing bowl with a spatula.
• Add the lentils, nutritional yeast, vital wheat gluten, soy sauce, tomato paste, olive oil, and water to the food processor. Pulse to combine, then purée until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add this mixture to the bowl with the onion and garlic. Add the breadcrumbs and mix well with your hands for about 2 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Roll the mixture into cherry-sized balls — you should get about 32. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add a thin layer of olive oil. Pan fry in two batches, tilting the pan so the meatballs roll around and brown evenly, no more than 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a baking pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally so they cook evenly.

Boil pasta and assemble:

• Boil the pasta while the meatballs bake. Drain and add to the sauce. When the meatballs are ready, add them to the pot as well. If the sauce has cooled, warm everything together over low heat for a few minutes. Toss carefully with a wooden spoon, taking care not to break the meatballs, and serve.