Tender and flavourful vegan meatballs made with less than 10 ingredients. A twist on a traditional Italian dish that everyone will like!
What’s In Our Vegan Meatballs?
- Brown lentils: please use dry lentils for the recipe. We prefer cooking it ourselves to get a perfect texture. Canned lentils are often overcooked.
- Onion: we dice and cook it with spices to get those flavourful meatballs.
- Italian spices: it’s an Italian-inspired dish. But you can also use oregano.
- Paprika: we’re using sweet paprika.
- Garlic: just a classic ingredient for meatballs.
- Italian breadcrumbs: to make sure the meatballs stick together. You can also use a whole bread to make your own breadcrumbs.
- Nutritional yeast: for that cheesy taste.
- Flax egg or regular egg (if not vegan): for flax eggs combine 1 tbsp. of grounded flax seeds with 3 tbsp. of water. Mix well and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Worcestershire sauce (optional): for a tangy taste. Please note that this ingredient is not vegan.
- Olive oil: to cook the meatballs in a pan (we want it crispy) before putting them in the oven.
What Sauce to Use?
- Homemade roasted peppers sauce: Here, we’re making it with our super rich homemade sauce. Soya cream and roasted red peppers are the base of this sauce.
- Classic marinara sauce: you can also serve it with a store-bought sauce and add some fresh basil.
How to Serve Them
- On their own: with a good piece of bread so that you can dip it in that beautiful sauce.
- Accompanied with Orzo. It also goes well with this recipe.
- With rice on the side for a more classic dinner.
Freezer-Friendly
You can easily make a big batch of this recipe (double the quantities) and freeze half of it. That way you can have an easy meal ready in a few minutes. Place the cooked meatballs on a baking pan and freeze them up for about an hour. Transfer the meatballs into a Ziploc bag or container. They will last up to 3 months.
The Best Vegan Meatballs (Made With Lentils)
4
servings20
minutes40
minutes1h
Tender and flavourful vegan meatballs made with less than 10 ingredients. A twist on a traditional Italian dish that everyone will like!
Ingredients
- Meatballs
Brown lentils : one cup of dry brown lentils (2 cups cooked)
Onion : finely diced
Italian spices : 1 tbsp (can be substitute with origan)
Paprika : 1 tsp
Garlic : 2 garlic cloves minced
Italian breadcrumbs : ½ cup
Nutritional yeast : ⅓ cup
1 egg or 1 flax egg
Worcestershire sauce ; 1 tsp (optional – please note that this ingredient is not vegan)
Olive oil : 3 tbsp
- Sauce
- You can serve it with marinara sauce and fresh basil or this roasted red peppers sauce
Roasted red peppers : 1 can (16oz/500ml)
Garlic : 2 garlic cloves minced
Soya cream : 1 cup (250ml)
Honey : 1 tsp
Water : ¼ cup to ½ cup
Fresh basil to serve
Instructions
- To cook the lentils, add them to a pot filled with water. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 20–25 minutes, until tender. Drain and run cold water over to stop the cooking process.
- In a pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil, onion, Italian spices, paprika and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes and reserve.
- In a food processor, combine lentils, onion mixture, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, egg/flax egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Pulse for 10 seconds. You want to make sure it’s well combined but you don’t want to get a puree.
- Preheat the oven at 400 degrees F. Place a parchment paper on a baking pan.
- With your hands, form meatballs using one tablespoon of the mixture. The recipe yields 18–20 meatballs. If it’s too sticky, don’t hesitate to rinse your hands with water, it will be easier that way.
- Dispose the meatballs on the baking pan.
- In the same pan you used to sauté the onions, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the meatballs for 5–6 minutes to get a crispy skin (turning 2–3 times). Place them back on the baking pan and cook for 10–12 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the sauce. If you are using marinara sauce just heat it up in the saucepan you used to cook the meatballs.
- To prepare the sauce, place the roasted red peppers in the food processor with 2 tablespoons of red pepper oil. Pulse for a few minutes.
- In a big pan, add the roasted red pepper mixture with 2 garlic cloves minced, honey, salt and pepper. Cook for about 2–3 minutes on medium heat.
- Add soya cream and mix well. Add water (½ cup to ¼ cup) depending on the consistency.
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