When the spring season begins to take hold with its first warmth, it often happens to reduce our intake of vegetable proteins, vitamins, and minerals offered by legumes. This is because it is always thought that legumes can only be consumed as soups or stews and therefore only in winter, while in reality, they lend themselves to many tasty and original preparations that foresee their consumption even throughout the rest of the year! The lentil and zucchini meatballs are a clear example! They can be served at the table even cold as a really tasty and original vegetarian main course. Moreover, they will also be the perfect trick to get even the little ones and the rest of the family to eat vegetables and legumes! I often prepare them using the vegetables I have available, so you will also get a handy fridge-cleaning recipe! A nice advantage, don’t you think? Try them because they are not only very easy to make but also quite quick, so they will really take you little time in the kitchen, and if in summer it is too hot to turn on the oven, don’t worry, you can also cook them in a pan and you’re done!
Among the many versions of meatballs, those with legumes, and in particular red lentils, have always been the most convincing. Try these variations too:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients:
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps to support me and my work, while it will not cost you anything extra!
- 7 oz red lentils (I SELECT)
- 1 white zucchini
- 1 carrot
- 1.6 cups water (hot)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- to taste herbs
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- to taste salt
- to taste pink pepper
Tools:
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps to support me and my work, while it will not cost you anything extra!
- 1 Colander
- 1 Knife
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Pan
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Parchment paper
Steps:
Start by rinsing the red lentils thoroughly under running water using a large colander.
Wash, clean all the vegetables, trim them, and with the help of a knife, cut them into small cubes (brunoise) all of the same size to facilitate even cooking. In a large non-stick pan, brown the shallot with a good drizzle of oil over medium heat for 2′, then add the zucchini and carrots.
Pour in half of the hot water, stew for 5′ over low heat, and add the lentils.
Flavor with the tomato paste.
Thin with the rest of the water, continuing to cook for another 15′ or according to the time provided on your package.
After this time, the broth will have almost completely dried up, turn off and adjust the salt and ground pepper.
Season with sweet paprika, stir, and let cool.
Without dirtying bowls, in the same pan, add the egg, the herbs, and an additional pinch of salt.
Add also 2-3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. You might need 4 tablespoons because it depends on how much water the carrots and zucchini absorbed.
Finally, finish with the grated Parmesan.
Make the meatballs by taking small amounts of mixture slightly larger than a walnut.
Slightly flatten them and place them directly on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, drizzling them generously with oil on top. Bake in the oven at 375°F for about 20′ or until golden on top.
Turn off and serve while still warm or once cold, they will still be delicious!
And voilà… your baked red lentil and zucchini meatballs are ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy your meal from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 Baked red lentil and zucchini meatballs can be stored in the fridge in suitable refrigeration containers for up to a maximum of 3-4 days.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣 Red lentil and zucchini meatballs can also be cooked in a pan: heat some olive oil (or seed oil) in a pan and when it reaches the right temperature, fry the lentil meatballs a few at a time, turning them often to brown them on all sides.
🟣 You can use your preferred aromatic herbs and spices, so feel free to use mint, basil, chives, parsley, and thyme, and the same goes for turmeric, spicy or smoked paprika, curry, etc.
🟣 If you like, you could use ready-made canned lentils in the recipe or maybe those left over from lunch or dinner the day before. In this case, the preparation will be even quicker because you can add them directly at the end, that is, a few minutes before the vegetables finish cooking.
