Lentil and vegetable meatballs, a vegetarian main course, delicious, nutritious, and rich in vitamins. A recipe with lentils, easy and quick to prepare, so good that it’s an excellent way to convince kids to eat legumes. They are prepared in a few minutes, with boiled lentils, potatoes or bread, and cheese, small bites, soft with a melting heart of Brie (optional) enclosed in a golden, crunchy crust.
For preparation, you can use the lentils you prefer, canned or dried, or those that you have left over from other recipes, just dry the lentil mixture, blend it, and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Once ready, you can fry them in the classic way, or bake them in the oven; with this method, they will be lighter, less caloric but equally good. In this case, I used leftover lentils cooked with carrots, celery, onion, and a tablespoon of tomato paste, but they are also delicious plain. They are perfect as a main course, but also as finger food or for a buffet. I accompany them with a nice salad, delightful
Here are other vegetarian recipes:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 25 meatballs
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 130.01 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 8.97 (g) of which sugars 0.50 (g)
- Proteins 4.46 (g)
- Fat 8.98 (g) of which saturated 1.92 (g)of which unsaturated 0.59 (g)
- Fibers 1.52 (g)
- Sodium 86.73 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 24 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Lentil and Vegetable Meatballs
- 10.6 oz lentils
- 1 egg
- bunch parsley (1)
- 4 tbsps Grana Padano cheese, grated
- 2 tbsps breadcrumbs (+ extra for breading)
- 1 potato
- 2.1 oz brie (optional)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 2 carrots
- 1 celery (stalk)
- 2 peeled tomatoes
Tools
- Thermometer ThermoPro TP02S Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer with Long Probe 5.3 inches and LCD Display for Kitchen, BBQ, Wine, Milk, Oil Frying, Candy, Grilling, Food, Water
- Immersion Blenders Moulinex DD6558 Quickchef 3in1 Immersion Blender, 1000 W, Mixer with Powelix Technology and 10 Speeds, 3 Accessories, 800 ml Cup, 500 ml Chopper and Whisk, Stainless Steel Blades
- Bowls GOURMETmaxx set of 5 glass bowls with lids | For serving salads or preparing desserts | Glass container with lid to keep food fresh | Dishwasher safe
Steps for Lentil and Vegetable Meatballs
Let’s start by preparing the lentils you have chosen, in a pot, where you will place 1 liter of cold water, 2 cleaned and chopped carrots, 1 small peeled and chopped potato, 1 sliced onion, 1 stalk of celery, 2 peeled tomatoes. Cook covered for about 20/25 minutes, if using dried lentils, cook them for at least 45 minutes. Finally, add salt. Then place them in a pan with oil and garlic
Once ready, drain the lentils, put them in a mixer, along with Grana Padano cheese, egg, and parsley, and blend for a few seconds. Add breadcrumbs and mashed potato, little by little, mix to get a doughy consistency, and finally add a pinch of salt.
Form the lentil meatballs, take a piece of mixture, place 1 cube of Brie in the center. Seal with a pinch, roll between your hands. Dip the meatballs in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs, until finished. If you want to bake them, brush them with a little oil and bake in a hot oven at 355°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes. Serve the meatballs hot and melting
Tips, Notes, Variations for Lentil and Vegetable Meatballs
If you want fried meatballs, heat plenty of frying oil in a high-sided pot. When the oil reaches a temperature of 347°F (175°C), start cooking, fry for a couple of minutes, and turn the meatball only once. Remember, a few pieces at a time and drain on absorbent paper. Before cooking, you can freeze them: place them in the freezer on a tray, so they freeze separately, preventing sticking, then you can collect them in suitable bags.
