Lentil Kibbeh

There's a common misconception that when you become vegetarian (or vegan) you will have to eat a very restricted diet. While that might be true on occasions when you dine out at a standard American restaurant, eating meatless actually has the ability to open your eyes to a whole new world of cuisines.

In fact, it wasn't until I transitioned to vegetarianism twleve years ago that I started to discover so many new foods. It's almost as though it forced me to get creative and think outside of the box of meat and potatoes.

Even to this day I find myself discovering new dishes that delight my senses. This lentil kibbeh, for example, is a Middle Eastern recipe that I didn't even know existed until recently. There are several variations of the dish from different countries, but it's typically made from a combination of bulgur wheat, red lentils, and minced onion.

Most of the ingredients are readily available at standard grocery stores, except for red pepper paste, which is essentially a combination of muddled red bell pepper and red chili peppers. Because I had trouble tracking it down at my local store, I went ahead and substituted minced red bell pepper with crushed chili pepper and a touch of cayenne.

Overall the recipe is fairly to easy to make, you just have to be patient while you let the lentil and bulgur mixture cool. This process helps the excess moisture absorb so that it will be easier to roll into balls.

Some lentil kibbeh recipes call for eating it raw, while others call for frying or sometimes baking them before serving. To keep the dish light and healthy, I chose to bake them for about 15-20 minutes, which is just long enough for the outside to get golden and crispy. They are best served with fresh squeezed lemon juice and topped with plain yogurt. If you have some warm pita on hand, that would make a nice addition as well!

Lentil Kibbeh

Spiced red lentils and bulgur wheat fritters are baked and served over crisp romaine with a drizzle of yogurt to make this vegetarian lentil kibbeh.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: lentil fritters, Lentil Kibbeh, vegan fritters, vegetarian fritters, veggie fritters

Servings: 24 balls or 6 servings

Calories: 73kcal

Author: Oh My Veggies

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils rinsed
• 1 ½ cups fine bulgur wheat
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion minced
• 1 red bell pepper cored and minced*
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon cayenne or less, depending on your preference
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 green onions finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste I used 1 teaspoon

For serving:

• Chopped romaine lettuce
• Fresh lemon juice
• Plain yogurt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Place 3 cups of water and 1 cup of red lentils into a medium pot and set over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 7 minutes, until most of the water has absorbed. Turn the heat to low, add the bulgur wheat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes while stirring intermittently. Once the bulgur is cooked and all of the water has absorbed, remove from heat to cool.
• Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper, then cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the cumin, paprika, crushed red pepper, cayenne, and tomato paste. Add 3 tablespoons water, stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Place the lentil mixture and the onion mixture into a large bowl, add the lentil mixture with the onion and red pepper paste. Stir together to combine, then set aside to cool completely for about 30 minutes.
• Once the mixture has cooled, add chopped green onion, fresh parsley and lemon juice. Stir together. Add salt, as needed, to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F then line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time and roll into balls, arranging each one on the baking sheet at least an inch apart. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown. Serve with chopped romaine, fresh lemon juice, and plain yogurt for topping.

Notes

If you are able to find Middle Eastern red pepper paste, then you can omit the minced red bell pepper, crushed red pepper and cayenne. Add the paste at the same time as the tomato paste while cooking the onion.

Nutrition

Calories: 73kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 15mgPotassium: 157mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 352IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg

Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!