Lentil Veggie Balls
Serves Serves 4 (makes 12-16 individual veggie balls)
If you don’t eat meat, these are a fantastic alternative to beef meatballs. Lentils have a bad reputation for being dull and boring, but it is thoroughly undeserved. Lentil Veggie Balls are full of flavour, high in protein, low in calories and ridiculously easy to make!
Lovely served with courgette noodles or brown rice and homemade tomato sauce, please do not be intimidated by the lovely lentil!
You will need to take into consideration that these ‘meatball alternatives’ need a minimum of two hours in the fridge prior to being cooked to prevent them from breaking up when they are fried. If you choose to make smaller or ‘mini’ balls, you will increase the yield from 12 to 16. You will also get away with just frying the veggie balls, so don’t worry about finishing them off in the oven.
You will need a baking tray lined with parchment paper. You will also need a food processor.
What you need
200g brown lentils
600-700ml water
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted plus extra for frying the veggie balls
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
100g flat mushrooms, finely chopped
4 tbsp gluten-free porridge oats
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Zest 1 lemon
Pinch chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
What you do
Rinse and drain the lentils.
Place them in a saucepan with the water and a little salt.
Allow the water to come up to boiling point before lowering the heat. Allow to simmer with a lid on for approximately 20 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the lentils have softened.
Drain off any excess water and leave the lentils to one side.
Heat a large frying pan and add one tablespoon of oil and chopped onion.
Gently fry the onion with a little salt and pepper for approximately eight minutes until it has softened.
Add the garlic, chilli and mushrooms and continue to fry for a further five minutes.
Add the oats, parsley, lemon zest, and chilli flakes and stir to combine.
Stir through the cooked lentils and season again.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse to combine.
Divide the mixture into 12 evenly-sized balls and pop them onto a plate.
Cover and place the balls in the fridge for a minimum of two hours or up to 48 hours.
When you are ready to cook your veggie balls, pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
Heat a large frying pan, add the remaining coconut oil and gently fry the balls. Turn them regularly to ensure that they are evenly browned. (You may have to do this in batches). A crust should form around each veggie ball which gives them their crunchy texture.
Once evenly browned and slightly crunchy, transfer the veggie balls to your prepared baking tray and place in the pre-heated oven. Bake for approximately 10 minutes to make sure the balls are cooked throughout.
Remove from the oven and serve with your chosen vegetables.
