These Lentil and Sausage meatballs with corn flakes are perfect for lunch or dinner, with few ingredients, no frying, and they’ll be a hit.
Forget the usual main courses: today we bring to the table a tantalizing idea that will win everyone over at first bite. These little delights combine the iron of legumes with the delicacy of meat, creating a unique flavor combination between lentils and sausage.
The real strength, however, is the texture: a soft and juicy heart enclosed in a golden shell of crushed corn flakes, which gives an incredible crunch without the need to fry.
Thanks to baking, you will achieve a light and dry result, perfect for both a convivial dinner and a creative aperitif. Get ready to hear them crunch: one leads to another!
Below, I’ll leave you with some other tasty meatball recipes to try, and then we’ll go right under the photo to discover how to prepare these lentil and sausage meatballs 😉
See you soon with the next recipe, Ana Amalia!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Lentil and Sausage Meatballs
- 10.5 oz sausages
- 5.3 oz dried lentils (or 10.5 oz if already cooked)
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion (small)
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 bunch mixed herbs (to taste)
- 2.8 oz grated Parmesan
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 egg (small)
- as needed corn flakes (coarsely crushed)
Tools
- 1 Immersion Blender
- 1 Pan
- 1 Baking Sheet for oven
Preparation of Lentil and Sausage Meatballs
First, cook the lentils in plenty of water (without salt) for the time indicated on the package. Set aside.
Chop finely onion, carrot, and celery and sauté them in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil until cooked but not burnt.
Add the cooked lentils and the bunch of herbs, letting everything flavor for 5 minutes, season with salt (a little).
Crumble the sausages after removing the casing and set them aside on the cutting board.
Blend the lentils with the immersion blender or a cutter, add the crumbled sausages, the egg, and the grated cheese.
Mix with a spoon to combine everything and allow the mixture to cool.
Meanwhile, crush the corn flakes with a meat pounder or the back of a knife and place them in a deep plate.
Preheat the oven to 375°F in static mode and line a baking sheet with wet and squeezed parchment paper.
With wet hands, take a spoonful of dough and form a meatball, roll it in the corn flakes making them adhere well.
Place each meatball on the baking sheet as you go, and once all the Lentil and Sausage Meatballs are ready, bake them on the middle rack of the oven.
Cook them for 25/30 minutes ensuring they don’t burn, they should be dry and crispy outside and still soft inside.
Serve them hot, perhaps accompanied by some homemade mayonnaise.
Storage, Tips, and Variants
In the fridge: You can store them in an airtight container for 2-3 days. To make them crispy again, avoid the microwave (it would make them soggy); reheat them in a convection oven or air fryer at 350°F for 5 minutes.
In the freezer:
Uncooked: Once breaded with corn flakes, place them on a tray, freeze, and then put them in a bag. You can bake them directly from frozen (add about 5-10 minutes to the cooking time).
Cooked: You can freeze them once cooled, but keep in mind that corn flakes coating will lose some of its original magic after thawing.
Perfect Pairings:
Mustard Mayonnaise: The spiciness of mustard cleanses the palate from the sausage’s fat.
Yogurt and Chive Sauce: Fresh and light, perfect to contrast the saltiness.
Homemade Ketchup or BBQ Sauce: If you want to enhance the “finger food” style American effect.
The Best Side Dishes:
Side Dishes:
Cabbage Salad (Coleslaw): Its acidity pairs perfectly.
Mashed Potatoes: For total comfort food.
Bitter Greens: Sautéed chicory or turnip greens to balance the sweetness of lentils.
Variations:
Melting Heart: Insert a cube of smoked provolone or scamorza in the center of each meatball before breading.
Spicy Version: Add a teaspoon of curry or cumin to the mixture. With lentils, they are perfect!
Aromatic Coating: Mix some finely chopped fresh rosemary or grated Parmesan with the crushed corn flakes for an even stronger flavor.
Veggie-Style Variant: If you have vegetarian guests, you can replace the sausage with finely chopped sautéed mushrooms or crumbled smoked tofu.
Other Recipes
🖥If you want to see more types of recipes you can return to HOME
📲If you don’t want to miss any recipes, you can follow me on my Facebook Page, just activate notifications and see how many new recipes every day.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use canned lentils to speed things up?
Absolutely! If you’re in a hurry, pre-cooked lentils work just fine. However, remember to rinse them very well under running water and dry them a bit before adding them to the sauté, so the mixture won’t be too moist.
Won’t the corn flakes coating risk burning in the oven?
At 375°F for 25 minutes, the browning should be perfect. The secret is to choose classic corn flakes (not sweetened!) and maybe spray a little extra virgin olive oil over the meatballs before baking: this will help make them golden without burning.
I don’t eat meat, what can I substitute for the sausage?
To maintain a similar texture, you can use finely chopped mushrooms (such as champignons or oyster mushrooms) sautéed in a pan until they lose all their water, or crumbled smoked tofu to mimic that strong flavor.
How do I prevent the meatballs from falling apart during cooking?
The key is for the mixture to be well compact. If you feel it’s too soft after adding lentils and sausage, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs or Parmesan. Resting in the fridge for 30 minutes before breading also helps a lot in maintaining the shape.
Can I cook them in an air fryer?
Certainly! The air fryer is perfect for this recipe. Cook them at 350°F for about 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through for even browning.
Which corn flakes should I buy?
Be very careful: you need the classic corn flakes, the breakfast “Corn Flakes” but in the unsweetened version. The glazed or honey ones would make your meatballs sweet… definitely a too daring experiment!
