Time: 2 hours.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 6

You'll be surprised by the meaty flavor of these vegetarian meatballs. Lentils, onions, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, shiitake mushrooms, and nutritional yeast all add a meaty flavor to these healthy, protein-rich meatballs. They're also packed with fiber and whole grains. Bake the meatballs in the oven and serve them in a hot, aromatic tomato sauce with garlic and basil, sprinkled with fresh parsley. These vegetarian meatballs in this sauce go great with pasta.

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil + extra for greasing the pan
• 1/3 cup wheat
• 1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 110 g shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps coarsely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons lightly salted soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 tsp vegetarian nutritional yeast
• 0.5 cup fresh parsley leaves + extra for serving
• 2 slices white bread or 1 hamburger bun, torn into pieces

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 can (800g) canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• A small handful of fresh basil leaves

Substituting ingredients
Measuring containers used

1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Recipes with similar ingredients

lentils, whole grain wheat, shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, basil

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Preparation:

Step 1
• Sauce:
  
  In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Stir until the garlic is golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a vigorous boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the torn basil leaves and 2 teaspoons of salt and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 20-25 minutes.
  
Step 2
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease it with oil.
Step 3
• Meatballs:
  
  In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil, then add the wheat and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and set the wheat aside.
  
  Place the lentils in a medium saucepan with 2.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until almost all the water is absorbed and the lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and let cool slightly.
  
Step 4
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are softened and lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and nutritional yeast and cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes more. Let cool slightly.
Step 5
• Transfer the onion and mushroom mixture to a food processor. Add the cooked lentils, wheat, and parsley leaves. Process until the mixture is crumbly but not mushy.
Step 6
• Place the bread pieces in a large bowl and cover with 1/4 cup water. Let sit for at least 5 minutes to soften. Using a fork, mash the bread until it forms a paste. Add the lentil mixture to the bowl with the mashed bread and mix with your hands, distributing the ingredients evenly. The mixture should hold its shape when gently squeezed.
Step 7
• Form 18 meatballs, approximately 2 inches (5 cm) in size. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake until the meatballs are golden brown on the outside and feel firm when pressed lightly, 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 8
• To serve, pour the sauce into a shallow serving bowl. Place the hot meatballs on top of the sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

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