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Betsylife » Recipes » Vegetarian/Health Food » Vegetarian Lentil “Meat” Balls

Vegetarian Lentil “Meat” Balls

June 5, 2013 By betsy 12 Comments

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Vegetarian meatballs can be made with a variety of ingredients. These meatless meatballs are made with lentils….I guess you can call them lentil balls?

Vegetarian Lentil "Meat" Balls

There may not be any actual meat in these vegetarian lentil “meat” balls, but they are so satisfying you won’t even know the difference. Even your biggest meat eater will love these meatless lentil balls.

The night I made these The Hubs came home from work and asked what was for dinner. I told him “lentil balls” and he made a face. After having a few bites his tune quickly changed, and he exclaimed how excellent these tasted. I agree. This is one of the best vegetarian dishes I have ever made. The fact that The Hubs actually said out loud that he liked them is a huge indicator of their tastiness.

Not only were they super delish for dinner, but possibly even better for lunch the next day, and that’s coming from me who is NOT generally a leftover person.

So they won over a meat lover, a leftover hater and I’m pretty sure few of my veggie friends who were over last weekend will attest to their deliciousness as well.

Vegetarian Lentil "Meat" Balls

meatless lentil meatballs
5 from 1 vote
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Vegetarian Lentil “Meat” Balls

Vegetarian meatballs can be made with a variety of ingredients. These meatless meatballs are made with lentils....I guess you can call them lentil balls?

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, vegetarian
Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 372 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried lentils
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 ear of fresh corn kernels removed from the cob
  • 1/2 cup broccoli chopped
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1-6 oz can tomato paste
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2/3 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

  1. Combine the lentils and 2 quarts water in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the lentils are soft (but not falling apart), about 25 minutes. Drain the lentils and allow to cool.
  2. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil to a large frying pan and sauté the onions, carrots, pepper, corn, broccoli, garlic, thyme, and salt over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown.
  3. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
  4. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. When cool, add the lentils to the vegetable mixture.
  5. Add the eggs, Parmesan, and bread crumbs to the cooled vegetable mixture and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated. Place in the refrigerator for 25 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  7. Coat a 13X9 baking dish in cooking spray
  8. Roll the mixture into round, meatballs (about 2 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the vegetable mixture firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish in even rows.
  9. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through.
  10. Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.
  11. I served mine with sun-dried tomato pesto but any sauce will do
Nutrition Facts
Vegetarian Lentil “Meat” Balls
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 372 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Sodium 183mg8%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 20g40%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Vegetarian Lentil "Meat" Balls

This healthy vegetarian meal was a welcome addition to my life after all the vacation binge eating and drinking I’ve done over the last month. Next week I have a round-up of super nutritious vegetarian meals planned for my features section.

Summer is the ideal time to get your veggies since everything is fresh. If you want to fill up on hearty meats during the winter, fine. But try to take advantage of bountiful fresh produce while you can!

If you have an awesome vegetarian dish you’d like me to try, leave a comment and let me know what it is!

Pin Meatless Lentil Meatballs for Later

Vegetarian Lentil "Meat" Balls

More meatless meals for meat lovers

Vegetarian Meatless Meatloaf

Vegetarian Meatless Meatloaf

Kale Taco Salad

Kale Taco Salad

Buffalo Quinoa Bites

Buffalo Quinoa Bites

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Filed Under: Recipes, Vegetarian/Health Food

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    June 5, 2013 at 6:59 pm

    yum! Can’t wait to try these!

    Reply
  2. Dorothy at ShockinglyDelicious says

    June 6, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    Looking VERY good!

    Reply
  3. Julie @ This Gal Cooks says

    June 19, 2013 at 4:59 pm

    These look delicious, Betsy! I just bought a bag of lentils. I was going to make a lentil stew but I may make these instead! Pinned.

    Reply
    • betsy says

      June 20, 2013 at 10:40 am

      Hooray! I’m so obsessed. I think you’ll love them!

      Reply
  4. KAREN says

    June 26, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    I WOULD LOVE TO TRY THESE MEATLESS MEATBALLS. BEING VEGAN, I WOULD NEED TO FIND A REPLACEMENT FOR THE EGGS. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

    THANK YOU.
    KAREN

    Reply
    • betsy says

      June 27, 2013 at 9:18 am

      I’m sure a flax “egg” would work. Here’s a link if you haven’t done this before http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2011/10/how-to-make-a-flax-egg-for-vegan-baking-the-right-way/

      Reply
  5. Teresa Peterson says

    June 27, 2013 at 3:42 pm

    Just made a huge batch of these for dinner tonight, can’t wait to try them!

    Reply
    • betsy says

      June 28, 2013 at 9:01 am

      How’d it go?

      Reply
  6. Karla says

    December 26, 2013 at 9:08 pm

    Do you know the serving size and the nutritional value?

    Reply
    • betsy says

      December 29, 2013 at 11:30 am

      I don’t know for sure. Sorry!

      Reply
  7. Helly says

    March 31, 2017 at 6:30 am

    I was wondering whether you used a particular lentil here? Or could I use any id like to?

    Reply
    • betsy says

      April 1, 2017 at 12:55 pm

      I used brown lentils for this one. I wouldn’t use red, as they tend to get a bit mushier but all other lentils should work

      Reply
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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