Lentil Meatballs

despite the fact that I’m now not a vegan or vegetarian, i've a deep love and appreciation for greens. It’s clean for me to prepare them at home—you’ll find a massive pan of without a doubt roasted mushrooms, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts in our oven almost every night time of the week—however once I go out, I’m regularly disillusioned by using how an awful lot of an afterthought the veggies appear. even if eating places do have a decent choice of veggies, they may be commonly deep fried, slathered in cream, or in addition disguised thru butter and cheese.

Now, I’m now not going to sit here and let you know that deep-fried Brussels sprouts or garlicky, buttery mushrooms are not scrumptious, but i'm saying that vegetarian and vegan recipes can preserve their own as the principle of a plate. working example: today’s Lentil Meatballs.

Lentils are fiber and protein powerhouses. while no longer technically a vegetable, they're an notable aid in vegetarian and vegan cooking, due to the fact the lentils make vegetarian dishes extra hearty and pleasurable, no meat required. they're additionally clean to make, price range pleasant, and can be tailored to a wide variety of cuisines and styles.

today’s Lentil Meatballs are precisely the form of dish I’d envision in my famous person vegetarian restaurant. They percent so much flavor and are so filling that your thought won’t be “wherein’s the beef?” but as a substitute “Can i have a 2nd helping?”

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

•  2 teaspoons olive oil
•  1/2 cup diced yellow onion — about 1/2 medium onion
•  1 cup shredded carrots
•  3/4 cup dried green — brown, or French lentils (I used green French lentils)
•  1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth — or chicken broth, plus additional as needed
•  1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats — or quick-cooking oats, do not use instant or steel cut
•  1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
•  1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
•  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•  1 large egg
•  2 cloves garlic — minced (about 2 teaspoons)
•  1 teaspoon dried oregano

FOR SERVING:

•  Good-quality red pasta sauce — store bought or homemade or pesto
•  Prepared whole wheat pasta noodles — zucchini noodles, or sweet potato noodles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse the lentils: degree the lentils right into a colander or strainer. pick over and remove any gotten smaller lentils or small pieces of rock or other particles. Rinse properly under cool water. Drain.
2. prepare dinner the lentils: add the rinsed lentils to a medium saucepan with the vegetable broth. convey to a fast simmer over medium excessive, then lessen the heat to a totally low simmer. There ought to be some small bubbles, and the lentils must be barely transferring. let lightly simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are smooth. hold a watch on them to make sure they do not dry out—you want the lentils to always be just barely covered with liquid. If the lentils are not but tender however the liquid has been has been absorbed, upload extra water and keep to cook. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside.
3. meanwhile, warmness the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. as soon as warm, upload the onion and cook till onion is translucent and lightly brown, 6 to eight minutes. Stir within the carrots and cook for any other 2 mins, then stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, approximately 1 extra minute.
4. place the oats and parsley inside the bottom of a meals processor fitted with a steel blade, then pulse a few instances to start breaking apart the oats. upload the cooked lentils, onion aggregate, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pulse some times to start combining the aggregate, then crack within the egg. Pulse a few extra instances until the aggregate is mixed however the lentils nevertheless have some texture. Set apart and let rest for 10 mins or refrigerate in a single day.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 tiers F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then coat the paper with nonstick spray. Roll the lentil combination into balls which can be more or less 1 1/2 inches throughout, approximately the size of a golf ball. arrange them in a unmarried layer at the baking sheet and mist the tops with nonstick spray. cook for 10 minutes, then turn, mist once more with nonstick spray, and preserve baking eight to ten extra minutes, until the meatballs are browned and lightly crisp. Serve heat with pasta or vegetable noodles and your preferred sauce.