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Lentil Meatballs

Lentil Meatballs are a tasty, easy main course and a perfect way to use up leftover holiday lentils. Quick to make and ready in no time.
Recipe Lentil Meatballs
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Preparation 15 minutes
  • Cooking 10 minutes
  • Servings for 4 people

Lentil Meatballs are a tasty main course and a great way to make delicious, quick and easy meatballs that are a little different from the usual, using the lentils left over from holiday lunches and dinners.

This Lentil Meatballs Recipe is without a doubt a clever way to avoid wasting leftovers, but also to serve a vegetarian main course that is very easy to make and out of the ordinary. For perfect Lentil Meatballs we recommend starting with Stewed Lentils: that way you won’t need to add any more salt or pepper when making the meatballs. Thanks to the texture of cooked lentils, you can make Lentil Meatballs Without Potatoes and, if you adjust the amount of breadcrumbs and grated cheese carefully, you can also leave out the egg and make Eggless Lentil Meatballs.

For Lighter Lentil Meatballs you can opt for Baked Lentil Meatballs by baking them in a convection oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 30 minutes, or for Air Fryer Lentil Meatballs by cooking them in the air fryer at 180 °C (350 °F) for 15-20 minutes. In both cases, we recommend drizzling them lightly with a little olive oil.

Ingredients for 4 people

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Method

  1. To make the Lentil Meatballs, cook the lentils following our Stewed Lentils recipe, and once they are cooked, place them in a strainer and let them drain off the sauce that formed during cooking.
    Making lentil meatballs, photo 1
    Making lentil meatballs, photo 2
  2. Put the drained lentils in a food processor with some breadcrumbs, some grated Grana Padano and a few parsley leaves, and blend everything. Add one egg and, if needed, a little more breadcrumbs, and blend again. Keep adding breadcrumbs as needed until you get a mixture that is easy to shape and doesn’t stick to your hands.
    Making lentil meatballs, photo 3
    Making lentil meatballs, photo 4
  3. Once the mixture has the perfect consistency for shaping meatballs, put a beaten egg with a little salt and pepper in one bowl and some breadcrumbs in another.
    Making lentil meatballs, photo 5
    Making lentil meatballs, photo 6
  4. Now shape the mixture into meatballs slightly larger than a walnut, dip them first in the beaten egg, then in the breadcrumbs, and finally fry them in plenty of very hot frying oil. Alternatively, place them in the air fryer basket, brush them with a drizzle of oil and cook them at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 12-15 minutes, turning them halfway through.
    Making lentil meatballs, photo 7
    Making lentil meatballs, photo 8
  5. Once the meatballs are nicely golden and crisp, lift them out with a slotted spoon, place them on a plate lined with paper towels, let them cool slightly and serve the Lentil Meatballs with a tasty Horseradish Sauce or Tartar Sauce.
    Lentil meatballs ready to serve

Variations and Alternatives

If you like, you can bake the Lentil Meatballs in the oven to make Baked Lentil Meatballs, which are lighter than the fried ones.

Tips

For perfect Lentil Meatballs, we recommend adding the breadcrumbs a little at a time until you get a mixture that is easy to shape but doesn’t stick to your hands.

Storage

Lentil Meatballs keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

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