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Vegan Lentil Meatballs

Tender, meaty, and umami-packed vegan lentil meatballs. This recipe is simple, easy, and pairs perfectly with spaghetti in a tomato sauce.

Course Main Course
Keyword dinner recipe, meat-free, vegan lentil meatballs
Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Taavi Moore

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp neutral-flavored oil
  • 1 ½ cups diced crimini mushrooms
  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup cooked and cooled brown lentils
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped, fresh parsley
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add mushrooms, onion, and a pinch of salt. Saute for 5-6 minutes until onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste, oregano, paprika, and nutmeg. Cook for 1-2 minutes until tomato paste has darkened in color and spices are fragrant. Transfer onion mixture to a bowl and place in freezer for 5 minutes to cool.

  2. Add cooled onion mixture, cooked and cooled lentils, parsley, miso paste, and flour to a food processor. Blitz until combined and a thick paste-like mixture forms. You don't want to process it until smooth, some texture is good. Scoop mixture into a large bowl and stir in panko. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

  3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a small scoop to take 2 tbsp of the meatball mixture and roll into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Spray meatballs with cooking spray.  

  4. Bake meatballs for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. If serving meatballs with tomato sauce, let meatballs cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then stir in to the sauce and top on pasta of choice.