This Easy Vegetarian Lentil Meatballs recipe offers a healthy and flavorful alternative to traditional meatballs. Made with cooked lentils, aromatic spices, and wholesome ingredients, these meatballs are baked to golden perfection. Perfect served with pasta, rice, or your favorite sauce, they provide a protein-packed, delicious vegetarian meal that everyone will enjoy.
Total Time:50 minutes
Yield:12 meatballs
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
1/2 cup cooked lentils, brown or green
1 large egg (or flax egg)
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (or up to 3/4 cup as needed)
Instructions
Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone mat to prevent sticking during baking.
Combine Ingredients: In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine the cooked lentils, egg (or flax egg), diced onion, minced garlic, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, sea salt, black pepper, and tomato paste. Pulse the mixture until well mixed but still has some texture, avoiding a completely smooth puree.
Add Breadcrumbs: Gradually add the whole wheat breadcrumbs to the mixture and pulse again. Keep pulsing until the mixture is firm enough to hold its shape when formed into balls.
Form Meatballs: Using your hands, roll the mixture into 1-inch diameter meatballs and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake Meatballs: Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Flip the meatballs halfway through baking to ensure even browning. They should be golden brown and firm when done.
Serve: Serve these versatile lentil meatballs hot alongside pasta, rice, or your favorite sauce for a satisfying vegetarian meal.
Notes
Use a flax egg as a vegan substitute by mixing 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water and letting it sit for 5 minutes before use.
If the mixture feels too wet, add additional breadcrumbs up to 3/4 cup to help bind the meatballs.
Make sure not to over-process the lentil mixture to maintain some texture in the meatballs.
These meatballs freeze well; freeze before baking and bake from frozen for an additional 5-10 minutes.
For added flavor, consider adding fresh herbs like parsley or basil to the mixture.
