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Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
314 | Calories |
12g | Fat |
37g | Carbs |
21g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 4 to 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 314 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 12g | 15% |
Saturated Fat 1g | 6% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 608mg | 26% |
Total Carbohydrate 37g | 13% |
Dietary Fiber 17g | 60% |
Total Sugars 4g | |
Protein 21g | |
Vitamin C 4mg | 22% |
Calcium 92mg | 7% |
Iron 5mg | 26% |
Potassium 788mg | 17% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
Lentil meatballs are just as good as "real" meatballs, but they have the added bonus of being nutrient-rich and just as yummy. This vegan recipe for lentil meatballs is not only dairy-free but egg-free as well. The use of gluten-free flour adds yet another layer of protection if you are on a restrictive diet. While there are a number of different vegan meatball recipes that use other ingredients, such as chickpeas, brown rice, cauliflower, tofu, tempeh, and seitan to name a few. This recipe keeps it simple making the meatball out of mushrooms, flax seeds, lentils, and gluten-free powder.
Ingredients
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2 cups red lentils, rinsed
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3 cups vegetable stock
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1/2 cup finely chopped onions
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2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
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1 tablespoon olive oil, more as needed
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8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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1 cup nutritional yeast
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1 cup finely ground flax seeds, or flax meal
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1/4 cup gluten-free flour, such as sorghum or rice flour, more as needed
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Salt, to taste
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Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Steps to Make It
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In a medium-large pot, combine the lentils, vegetable stock, onions, and garlic and bring to a boil.
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Turn down the heat, and let the lentils simmer, covered, for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until very soft.
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Remove from heat and mash well with a potato masher or fork.
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Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
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Add the mushrooms and thyme and saute until the mushrooms are very soft, about 4 to 6 minutes.
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In a food processor or blender, combine half of the lentil mixture with the mushrooms, ground flax seeds, and nutritional yeast and process until smooth.
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Add the processed mixture to the remaining lentil mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.
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Gradually stir in the sorghum flour or rice flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture holds together. Allow the mixture to reach room temperature before forming into balls.
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Cook the lentil balls. Heat a small amount of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
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Add the lentil balls to the hot oil, cooking only as many at a time as will fit without touching one another.
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Cook, flipping the lentil balls to brown them on all sides until they’re golden brown, about 4 minutes.
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Repeat until all of the lentil balls are cooked.
Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients
Steam expands quickly in a blender, and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.
Tips
- When gradually adding the gluten-free flour, just add enough so that the mixture holds together.
- While some people prefer to cook their meatballs through in the sauce of their choice, these really work infinitely better when they are first seared or lightly sauteed in a pan, as it will keep them from falling apart.
- The lentil meatball mixture can be made up to one day in advance and then formed into balls and cooked.
- These vegan meatballs made with lentils are easy to prepare and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways: over spaghetti with store-bought or homemade sauce, on dairy-free sandwich bread as a meatless meatball sub, in a wrap, or just on their own.
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