Recipe | Lentil Mushroom Meatballs

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Lentil Mushroom Meatballs
Yesterday I was browsing through my pins on Pinterest and I came upon a corn recipe.

Corn. It looked so good. So fresh. Yellow. Delicious. I wanted to cry a little. I could almost taste it, but the almost part made it even worse–almost, but not really.

We’re on the cusp of winter, which means that summer is six months away. It is not going to be corn season anytime soon. No, it’s winter–winter, the time to eat… well, I guess the same things we’ve been eating since fall? More sweet potatoes? More winter squash? Mushrooms and broccoli and all those things that might have a season, but don’t really have a season because we buy them year-round?

Lentil Mushroom Meatballs
Lentil Mushroom Meatballs have been on my recipe to-do list since last spring, but somehow they seem appropriate for winter. If a big bowl of spaghetti topped with marinara sauce and meatballs could have a season, it would be winter, right?

These meatballs took a lot of trial and error. The first time I made them, I used French lentils. The meatballs were almost perfect, but needed a little adjustment in the seasoning department. So the second time, I used brown lentils. Disaster! The meatballs were mushy in the center, although the seasoning was right this time.

Lentil Mushroom Meatball Mixture
Lentil Mushroom Meatball Mixture
Lesson? The lentils need to be undercooked. I didn’t want to call for French lentils in the recipe since they’re not available at all supermarkets. So in order to use brown lentils, I cooked them for a shorter amount of time than you normally would. After cooking, they get pulsed with mushrooms in the food processor until the mixture is coarsely chopped. This mixture is then browned in a skillet before forming the meatballs. (Does this sound complicated? I swear, it’s not!)

I also baked the meatballs instead of frying them, so in order to help them keep their shape, I put them in mini muffin tins. Oh sure, they get a little flat on the bottom, but don’t they look like perfect little meatballs on top?

Spaghetti with Lentil Mushroom Meatballs
Chris loves the frozen soy meatballs and I think I’ve finally come up with a good alternative–well, at least, according to him, I have. They’re savory and delicious and made with real, whole ingredients like lentils, mushrooms, and oats. Although they are perfect in a big bowl of spaghetti, they’d also make fantastic meatball subs or sliders.

I guess winter isn’t so bad, huh? Maybe I can wait that six months for corn…

Lentil Mushroom Meatballs

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 12 meatballs

Serving Size: 3-4 meatballs

Lentil Mushroom Meatballs

Baked meatless meatballs made with oats, mushrooms, and lentils. The perfect addition to a bowl full of spaghetti!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. dried brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 c. water
  • 8 oz. white mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp. red wine
  • 1/2 c. vegetable or mushroom broth
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
  • 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • salt + pepper to taste
  • oil mister or cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Combine lentils, bay leaf, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. (Yes, the lentils will be undercooked--don't cook them for the time indicated on the package!) Remove from heat, drain, and cool slightly. Discard bay leaf.
  2. Add mushrooms and lentils to food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), stirring constantly. Stir in mushroom-lentil mixture. Cook for about 4 minutes or until browned, stirring constantly.
  4. Add red wine to skillet and cook until evaporated. Stir in broth, soy sauce, oats, and Italian seasoning. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and allow to cool.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Once mixture is cool enough to work with, shape it into 12 uniformly-sized meatballs. Place each in a mini-muffin tin that's been coated in oil or cooking spray. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Comments

  1. I love summertime meals, but there are certain meals that I look forward to in winter too, and I would definitely include a hearty pasta like this one in that category! I’ve been wanting to try making vegetarian meatballs for a while, and this recipe sounds like the perfect one to try!

  2. I’ve sworn off those frozen soy meatballs b/c they are so darn salty – would love this as a healthier alternative. So glad I can bake them!

  3. I’ve made very similar “meatballs” and my family loves them. I need to try it with the mushrooms though!

  4. Tried these this weekend. Made them into sandwichs with a slice of provolone and some red gravy. Even my husband liked them (total carnivore). Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely make them again.

  5. Just made these, actually in the middle of eating the first one. Love this recipe! Thank you for sharing your experiment! A great addition to our rotation of favorite dishes.

  6. Just tried these yesterday and loved them! We didn’t have a cupped tray so we just put the little balls in a normal oven tray and they didn’t lose their shape which is great. We had them with vegan sweet potato mash on the side (my sister’s recipe, with soya cream and a bit of sesame paste, yum) and a tomato and onion salad. Delicious! :)

  7. These look so good! Would they freeze well?

  8. Rachel Herriott says:

    Oh my goodness! I just made these! I haven’t actually put the tin in the oven to cook them yet but I just had to comment. They are delicious! Mine would have made about 16 but I made the 12, put them in the tin and then ate the remain mixture with a teaspoon. I couldn’t get enough. Thank you so much for this recipe. It will be a weekly favourite from now on :)

  9. These “meatballs” are deeeelicious! At first I was afraid I food processed the mushrooms too much (and I probably did because I get a bit carried away with the food processor) but they stayed together very well and the consistency was great. Didn’t change the recipe – it was perfect as- is.

  10. Oh this so yummy! I will make it this week! Thank you for sharing! :)

  11. Just made these for supper along with alfredo sauce (made with homemade mushroom stock to tie it all in) on some linguine and it was wonderful. Huge-bloody-steak-eating hubby loved it; walked around afterwards saying he wanted more but was full. My finicky pregnant-tummy kicked in and I almost didn’t eat any, but I finished 3 and it was good. They didn’t hold together very well though. I’m not sure what to do next time to make them more solid.

    • Thanks for your comment–I’m glad they turned out well! I’m not sure why they didn’t hold together, though. I haven’t had that happen myself! The only thing I can think of is that maybe the mixture was too dry?

  12. Made these last weekend….doubled the batch and froze the leftovers. They taste incredible and freeze divinely!!!! These will be my new staple. Better than store bought vegetarian meatballs. Thanks so much!

    • Thanks for your comment–I’m glad to hear they froze well too! :) I keep meaning to give that a try, but my husband eats them before I have a chance.

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