These hearty meatless meatballs are made with walnuts, mushrooms and lentils.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) chopped walnuts
- 1 small shallot, finely diced
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups (about 200 grams) roughly chopped mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups (375 milliliters) canned lentils
- 1/2 cup (55 grams) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts in a large dry nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to smell nutty, about 2 minutes. Transfer the walnuts to the bowl of your food processor and set aside.
- Place the skillet back onto the heat and add the shallot and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the shallots are softened and lightly golden brown, 3 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper and allow the mushrooms to cook down for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Deglaze the pan with the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring constantly, until all the liquid has evaporated. Transfer the mushroom mixture into the food processor along with the lentils, Parmigiano-Reggiano, basil, parsley and oregano. Pulse 6 to 8 times to chop everything up and bring the mixture together, being careful not to make a smooth puree. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop or a spoon, divide the mixture into 14 to 16 equal portions and roll into meatballs. To keep the mixture from sticking to your hands, lightly dampen your hands with water. This works for all meatballs, meaty or meatless!
- Turn the heat under the skillet to medium-high and add in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Fry the meatballs in batches, turning occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes, and add more oil as needed.
- Serve the meatballs over pasta with your favorite tomato sauce or as a meatball sub smothered in melted mozzarella cheese.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 294 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Cholesterol | 9 mg |
| Sodium | 423 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 294 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Cholesterol | 9 mg |
| Sodium | 423 mg |
Reviews
Great flavor but after reading other comments and seeing consistency after pulsing – added a slightly beaten egg. These are quite delicate. Browned in the saute pan and then put in a 350f oven for about 10 mins while cooking pasta. Will make again but may go straight to oven instead of pan frying.
I made this recipe that resembles Mary McCartney’s black bean and mushroom burger in ingredients. The mixture was tasty, but the “meatballs” were fragile. I Knew the mixture was loose so I lightly dredged the meatballs in fine breadcrumbs and chilled them in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, Then, I fried them in very little oil until they were crusty. It took a long time – 15 minutes or so. I did have a few that broke apart. I also used thyme instead of basil and oregano. Oregano can be overpowering in a recipe. I will try these for dinner tonight. Maybe warming them in a low oven.
Although these are described as “meatless” and tagged as “vegetarian,” Parmigiano-Reggiano is not vegetarian (contains animal rennet). I tried the recipe without the cheese and as other reviewers have described, they don’t have a great texture. I also didn’t like the basil flavor coming through.
They were tasty but I put too much salt in them. They collapsed when I tried to turn them.
Maybe I can add an egg next time.
Maybe I can add an egg next time.
I made these tonight and while delicious I also had mushy meatballs. They were just too wet to be able to hold any shape. I gave up and tired to make a ground beef to add to the marinara but even after cooking for a long time it reminded to wet and mushy. I ended up eating it as it was tasty but it had no shape whatsoever. I may try again with different lentils and really making sure all liquid is reduced.
Can you bake them?
I made this recipe because it just looked so good! Unfortunately, my “meatballs” came out more like mushblls. When I fried them, they stuck to the bottom of the pan and disinterested. Parmasean cheese began to leak out, which only made things worse. I switched to a non-stick skillet with no olive oil and it worked better, but they balls still had little integrity. On the bright side, they tasted delicious!