What can you call meatballs when they don’t have any meat?
Lentil balls? Balls of lentil? Just doesn’t flow as well as “lentil meatballs.”
That’s right folks, these “meat”balls have no meat. They’re packed with nutrients and fiber from a mix of lentils, onion, garlic, flax and chia seeds. And they’re meat-eater boyfriend approved.
Lentil Meatballs
Makes about 30 meatballs
- 1 and 1/2 cups dried lentils
- 3 cups vegetable broth or 3 cups water + 1 tablespoon bouillon
- 1 small diced onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- extra virgin olive oil spray
- 1/3 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
1. Bring lentils and broth to a boil then let simmer for 30 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, sauté garlic and onions in a large pan sprayed with olive oil until soft.
2. Take one cup of the lentils (drained), half the onion and garlic mixture, the ground flaxseed, egg and chia seed and process in a blender or food processor until smooth. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and lightly mash with a fork or potato masher (some lentils should still remain whole).
3. Form balls with lentil mixture and add to pan coated with olive oil on medium high heat. Leave enough room to roll meatballs in order to get them browned on each side.
Serve over whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash and top with your favorite homemade or jarred marinara sauce.
Nutrition Facts (Per meatball, 1/30 of recipe)
Calories: 39
Total fat: 2 g
Monounsaturated fat: 1 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 7 g
Sodium: 33 mg
Potassium: 61 mg
Total carbohydrate: 4 g
Dietary fiber: 2 g
Sugars: 0 g
Protein: 2 g