Lentil balls are one of the recipes I make most often, and now it’s also on the blog! But be aware that they are addictive for how good they are! Tried years ago by chance, born from a shopping mistake (my husband went shopping and got lentils instead of ground meat, don’t ask me how he managed to do that, I have no idea!), since then they are a must in our kitchen, in 30 minutes you have them on the table, they are perfect to serve during appetizers and I assure you that if you don’t say they’re made with lentils, no one will notice! Now hurry to the kitchen to prepare these amazingly good lentil balls!
If you love recipes with legumes, also try:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 15
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Lentil Balls
- 8.5 oz Precooked lentils (already drained)
- 1 Egg (xl size)
- 3 tablespoons Grated cheese
- 4 tablespoons Breadcrumbs (plus a bit more for coating at the end)
- 1 pinch Fine salt
- 1 to taste Mixed peppercorns (to be freshly ground and adjusted according to taste)
- 1 Extra virgin olive oil (just a drizzle before baking)
- 1 tablespoon Mixed dried herbs (pre-packaged) (rosemary, sage, bay leaf, marjoram, onion, thyme)
Useful Tools for Making Lentil Balls
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper
Preparation of Lentil Balls
Drain the lentils, pour them into the bowl of the food processor, add the egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, a pinch of salt, and pepper, and run the processor for 2 minutes.
Pour the obtained mixture into a bowl, with the help of a spoon form 15 small balls (about the same size).
Roll the small balls in a mix of breadcrumbs and herbs (as listed in the ingredients) until fully coated, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Drizzle a little oil on top and bake in a cold oven at 482°F and cook for 25 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, and voilà the lentil balls are ready to be enjoyed hot, warm, or cold!
The lentil balls are good as they are, but if you want to add a little extra touch, you can add a pinch of chili pepper or paprika or parsley to the mixture.
For the coating, you can replace the breadcrumbs with cornflour or re-milled semolina or crumbled crackers. You can also add some chopped nuts to the coating.
You can also stuff the balls with pieces of cheese so that when hot, you find the melted cheese inside.
They can be served with various sauces: from the classic mayonnaise, ketchup, or mustard, to more particular sauces like: sweet and sour, plain yogurt with a drizzle of oil, a pinch of salt, and chives, plain yogurt and chopped cucumbers, mayonnaise and mustard mixed together.
You can also serve the balls with fresh salads, I suggest lamb’s lettuce and fresh spinach dressed with oil, salt, pepper, and added toasted pine nuts, or finely sliced Belgian endive dressed with soy sauce.
