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White plate filled with lentil meatballs and marinara sauce, basil leaves on top.

Easy Lentil Meatballs

Naturopath Lauren Glucina
Healthy, easy lentil meatballs with buckwheat, fresh herbs and spices. Soft and flavoursome, perfect on a bed of spiralised zucchini. Yields 24 meatballs.
4.45 from 9 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Plant-based
Servings 24 meatballs
Calories 80 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup red lentils
  • ¾ cup buckwheat groats
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • 1 large shallot
  • 3 large cloves garlic
  • 4 tablespoons ground chia
  • 1 extremely packed cup parsley curly, chopped
  • 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup semi or sundried tomatoes drained if oily
  • 2 spring onions/scallions green parts, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon thyme dried
  • Sprinkle of chilli flakes
  • ½ teaspoon fine Himalayan salt
  • ½ cup sunflower seeds

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven at 180˚C (355˚F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
  • Cook the lentils and buckwheat: Place lentils and buckwheat in a sieve and rinse very well under running water. Transfer to a large pot, fill it ¾ full of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat a little, and cook for about 15 minutes or till just done. Drain and rinse with cool water.
  • Fry shallots and garlic: While the lentils/buckwheat cook, heat a little olive oil in a pan and lightly fry finely chopped shallot. Add roughly chopped garlic cloves and cook a little longer. Transfer to a food processor.
  • Pulse ingredients in food processor: Add ground chia, parsley, tomato paste, spring onions, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and spices to the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cooled lentils/buckwheat and blitz to combine. Add the sunflower seeds last for one final pulse.
  • Roll and bake: Roll mixture into balls using a tablespoon of mixture per. Place on baking tray and bake for 15 minutes max (you want them to be a bit soft), turning half way through.
  • Serve: Serve with marinara sauce and pasta/spiralised zucchini. I love to fold about 100g fresh baby spinach or kale through the sauce to get some greens in there.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 4gFat: 3gSodium: 40mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gCalcium: 20mgIron: 1.4mg
Keyword Lentil meatballs
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