Lentil meatballs are one of the recipes I often make, and now it’s also on the blog! But beware, they are addictive because they are so good! Tried years ago by chance, born from a shopping mistake (my husband went shopping and took lentils instead of ground beef, don’t ask me how he managed to mix them up, I have no idea!), since then they are a must in our kitchen, in 30 minutes you can serve them, perfect to present during appetizers, and I assure you that if you don’t mention they’re made with lentils, no one will notice! Now head to the kitchen to prepare these tremendously good lentil meatballs!
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 the lentil meatballs
- 1.5 cups Precooked lentils (already drained)
- 1 Egg (XL size)
- 3 tablespoons Grated cheese
- 4 tablespoons Breadcrumbs (plus a bit more for breading at the end)
- 1 pinch Fine salt
- 1 to taste Mixed peppercorns (to be freshly ground and adjusted to taste)
- 1 Extra virgin olive oil (just a drizzle before putting in the oven)
- 1 tablespoon Mixed dried herbs (ready-made) (rosemary, sage, bay leaf, marjoram, onion, thyme)
Useful tools for making lentil meatballs
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper
Preparation of the lentil meatballs
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, using a spoon shape 15 meatballs (approximately of the same size).
Roll the meatballs in a mix of breadcrumbs and herbs (as per the ingredients list) until all are breaded, 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, and voilà the lentil meatballs are ready to be enjoyed hot, warm, or cold!
The lentil meatballs are good on their own, but if you want to add a touch more, you can add a pinch of chili pepper or paprika or parsley to the mixture.
For the breading, you can replace the breadcrumbs with cornmeal or semolina or crushed crackers. You can also add chopped nuts to the breading.
You can also stuff the meatballs with pieces of cheese so that when hot, the melted cheese is 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 accompany the meatballs with fresh salads, I recommend lamb’s lettuce and fresh spinach dressed with oil, salt, pepper, and toasted pine nuts, or thinly sliced Belgian endive with soy sauce.
