The air fryer lentil meatballs with quinoa are an excellent vegan alternative for healthy and nutritious eating.
Starting with quinoa, which is mistakenly associated with cereals, but in reality, it is a herbaceous plant similar to beet or spinach that contains seeds. But since it is often used as a substitute for cereals, it is now known as a pseudo-cereal. Rich in fiber and vitamins, it has made its way into our diet today. Personally, I find it pleasant and therefore like to consume it from time to time to vary my diet.
Now, to tell you about these air fryer lentil meatballs, they are really tasty because I made them using some lentils I had cooked in abundance a few days earlier, quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes, and a little more. Without using eggs and then I seasoned them with a tomato and basil sauce.
They can also be made with pre-cooked lentils, after rinsing them well from the preserving liquid (which is rich in salt) and then proceeding with the recipe.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Air Frying, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 190.28 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 26.71 (g) of which sugars 4.44 (g)
- Proteins 7.83 (g)
- Fat 5.63 (g) of which saturated 0.93 (g)of which unsaturated 1.43 (g)
- Fibers 7.85 (g)
- Sodium 275.92 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 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 this recipe, I used lentils I had already cooked in a stew previously.
- 12 oz cooked lentils
- 1/3 cup quinoa
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes in oil (well patted dry)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- parsley
- breadcrumbs (to bread the meatballs)
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil (for the air fryer)
- 14 oz canned tomatoes (with sauce)
- dried onion (or fresh)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- basil
Tools
- 1 Air Fryer
Steps
– Rinse the quinoa and boil it for about 10 minutes with slightly salted water. Follow the instructions on the package.
– Put the lentils in the blender jar with well-patted dry sun-dried tomatoes;
– Add fresh parsley, soy sauce, and blend everything together.
– Combine the lentil cream and quinoa in a bowl and mix well.
– Form small meatballs and roll them in breadcrumbs.
– Place the lentil meatballs in the fryer basket; spray and lightly coat with oil then cook at 375°F for about 7-8 minutes.
– Heat a dash of oil with the onion, add the canned tomatoes, salt, and cook for about 15 minutes. Then add the meatballs and continue cooking for a few minutes on low heat.. just enough for the meatballs to absorb the flavors.
– Put the tomato sauce on a serving tray, arrange the lentil and quinoa meatballs, and garnish with fresh basil.
Tips:
– If you do not have an air fryer, place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with oil and bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for about 10 minutes.
– The soy sauce can be added a bit more generously.
