Vegetarian Meatballs

Painlessly Plant-Based

It’s true—if you’re used to eating meat with most meals, making the shift towards more plant-based meals can (at first) feel a little disorienting. And if you lean too hard on old-school vegetarian fare, or even on just one or two vegetarian recipes you know how to make, things can get boring FAST. That’s where these vegetarian meatballs come in! When you’ve got a hankering for spaghetti and meatballs, but want to keep eating those body-and-planet friendly plant-based meals, look no further than this satisfying recipe. Intensely savory, with mushrooms, parmesan and plenty of garlic flavoring a protein-packed lentil base, there’s no sacrifice here.

No Meat. Got it. So, What IS in Meatless Meatballs?

Our vegetarian meatball recipe perfectly reflects where we are in our plant-based eating journey—they’re VEGETARIAN, not vegan. We’re still using egg as the binder, and lots of parmesan cheese for that delicious umami punch that we craave.

• Roma tomatoes
• Lentils
• Olive oil
• Onion
• Cremini mushrooms
• Garlic
• Panko
• Italian seasoning
• Cayenne
• Eggs
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil

3 Reasons These Lentil Meatballs Taste SO Good.

We’ve worked hard to perfect this recipe. We want big, bold flavors—nothing bland about these dense, hearty veggie meatballs. They’re good for you, but they also have to TASTE good, or what’s the point, right? Here’s why these lentil-mushroom meatballs taste so, so good:

1. Umami, times 2! Meaty mushrooms and parmesan both contribute umami to these vegetarian meatballs. Defined as the elusive fifth flavor, it’s extra important to us to make sure that plant-based recipes have a source (or two!) of umami.
2. Panko! We’ve talked about our love for these airy, crunchy, Japanese-style breadcrumbs before, but we’re here, talking about them again! They’re just so much lighter than traditional breadcrumbs, and they work perfectly in this recipe.
3. They’re roasted. Roasting the meatballs is key—the high heat creates a crust around the meatballs that’s just right. Brush them with a little oil before roasting to really encourage that lovely crisp crust.

How To Serve Vegetarian Meatballs

We’ve included our favorite way to serve these lentil meatballs in the recipe below, but they’re actually delicious in a lot of different ways. For example:

• They make great toddler food! Having trouble getting your tiniest family member to eat their veggies. We’ve found that when veggies look like meatballs, they have a magical tendency to disappear—even from our toddlers’ plates!
• Try them in a sandwich! Vegetarian meatball sub, anyone?
• As a salad topper—when we make a batch of these lentil meatballs, we always make extra so we’re guaranteed to be able to indulge in our favorite healthy lunches! We mix up a simple raw kale salad, and top it with lots of avocado and a few of these lentil meatballs for an ultra-healthy, filling lunch that powers us through ‘til dinner. Or at least afternoon snack time.

Tools You’ll Need:

• Small saucepan.
• Baking sheet.
• Food processor.
• Sharp knife.
• Cutting board.
• Stock pot.

5 Healthy Vegetarian Recipes to Try.

It’s a goal of ours to eat less meat in 2020. You, too? Here are five super-delicious, budget-friendly vegetarian recipes that prove that meatless doesn’t mean flavorless:

• Wild Mushroom Risotto
• Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
• Lentil Soup with Quinoa and Mushrooms
• Coconut Curry Ramen
• Tofu Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce

Pass The Meatballs!

Whatever your healthy-eating goals are, we hope you’re as into this lentil meatball recipe as we are! If you try it, we’d love to hear about it! Snap a photo of your vegetarian meatballs, and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!