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Made with plant-based ingredients like oats, carrots, and legumes, these lentil meatballs offer a vegetarian alternative to traditional meat. Ideal for making veggie-friendly “spaghetti and meatballs,” pasta dishes, tagines, sandwiches, and more.
Why Make These Lentil Meatballs?
I’ve been a vegetarian for most of my adult life, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still enjoy a good bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. In fact, pasta is one of my go-to comfort foods, and a staple when I’m short on cooking time or running low on fresh ingredients.
Although I work professionally as a pastry chef, I actually prefer to cook savory recipes at home. While studying for my MSc in Culinary Innovation, I started making lentil meatballs (loosely inspired by this recipe) to get me through long, busy weeks of late-night classes. I’d return home to my flat around 10:00 at night, pop a couple of frozen meatballs in a saucepan with some jarred pasta sauce and a few slices of fresh mozzarella, and simmer over low heat. By the time I unpacked my laptop bag and changed out of my school clothes, I could sit down and enjoy my dinner.
My Favorite Things About These Lentil Meatballs
I make these lentil meatballs at least once every month or so. (And the only reason I don’t make them more often is because they’re so easy to batch cook, and they freeze beautifully. See my instructions below!) You can use these lentil meatballs just about anywhere you’d use traditional meatballs: with pasta and sauce, in a meatball sub, or in a Moroccan-inspired meatball tagine. I also enjoy crumbling lentil meatballs into an easy meat substitute for spaghetti bolognese.
In addition to being freezer-friendly, I love these lentil meatballs because they utilize staple ingredients. (Some lentil meatball recipes include things like mushrooms or flax meal, but I don’t always keep these in the cabinet or fridge.) I’ve developed this recipe to require minimal equipment—no food processor or blender needed!
Ingredients for Making This Lentil Meatball Recipe
To make this lentil meatball recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Brown Lentils – Start with 190 grams, or about 1 cup, of uncooked brown lentils. Depending on your location, these may be also be sold as European lentils, green lentils, or just “lentils.” (Do not use red lentils—they’re too mushy, and your meatballs will lack the “meaty” texture provided by brown lentils.) If you have extra lentils, save them to make my meatless pot pie.
- Vegetable Bouillon – I prefer Knorr Vegetarian Vegetable Bouillon, but any vegetable bouillon will work. No need to dissolve the cube in advance—simply add it to the saucepan with the water and lentils, and it will dissolve as the lentils cook.
- Olive Oil – You’ll need liquid olive oil for sautéeing the vegetable mixture, plus an olive oil spray (or liquid oil poured into an olive oil sprayer) for spritzing the meatballs.
- Fresh Vegetables – These meatless meatballs include a mix of grated carrots (I recommend using a box grater rather than a Microplane), diced fresh celery, and minced garlic. I’m not a big fan of onion, but if you like it, you can add 1/2 minced onion to the vegetable mix. Sauté it along with the carrots, celery and garlic, before adding the tomato paste.
- Tomato Paste – Because this recipe only requires a small amount of tomato paste, I prefer to buy the kind packaged in a re-sealable tube rather than a can. If you do buy canned tomato paste, you can freeze the leftover paste in an ice cube tray to use in future recipes.
- Oats – Choose rolled oats (old fashioned oats) for this recipe, not instant or “quick” oats. And do not use steel-cut oats—they won’t soften enough, so your meatballs will be chewy.
- Dried Spices – This recipe includes dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, and garlic powder, plus kosher salt (fine sea salt also works) and ground black pepper. You can adjust the quantities to taste, or add other dried herbs such as dried rosemary or dried parsley, or an Italian seasoning blend.
- Egg – One large egg to acts as a binder, preventing the meatballs from crumbling as they bake.
- Fresh Parsley – I use a half-bunch, or about 55 grams or 1 cup of chopped parsley. You can add more if you’d like. Or, substitute chopped fresh basil instead.
Substitutions and Adjustments
I’ve made this lentil meatball recipe more times than I can count, so I’ve done my share of experimenting with ingredient substitutions and adjustments. While the recipe below represents the version I make most often, here are a few of the variations I’ve tried:
- Dried Herbs – You can add other dried herbs such as dried rosemary or dried parsley, or substitute an Italian seasoning blend. I also like to add chili flakes to the lentil mixture for a touch of heat.
- Fresh Herbs – I like these meatballs with fresh chopped parsley, but basil is also a good choice. Or, toss in a mix of fresh chopped herbs, such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary.
- Vegetables – Many vegetarian meatball recipes call for onion. I’m not a huge onion fan, so I’ve opted not to include it here. But if you do like onion, feel free to add 1/2 minced onion to the vegetable mixture. Sauté it along with the carrots, celery and garlic, before adding the tomato paste.
- Nuts – For extra protein and texture, you can replace about 1/4 of the rolled oats with coarsely ground walnuts
- Oils – For extra flavor, I sometimes substitute garlic oil or basil oil for the olive oil. And for spritzing, canola oil or even nonstick cooking spray will work in a pinch.
Can I Make Vegan Meatballs?
As written, these plant based meatballs are vegetarian but not vegan, because the meatball mixture includes an egg. I have not tested this recipe with a flax egg or vegan egg substitute. If you do try it, please let me know how it goes!
Cooking the Lentils for Meatless Meatballs
Most lentil-based dishes require cooking the lentils until tender, but still firm enough to retain their ‘bite’. In this recipe, you actually want a soft, almost mushy texture.
Lentil meatball recipes often call for processing firmer cooked lentils in a food processor. After extensive testing, I’ve found that it’s much easier to cook the lentils to a very soft consistency, then mash them into a chunky paste, no special equipment required. (This approach also means less cleanup—washing the food processor is such a pain!)
I recommend starting with two cups of water, then “topping up” whenever the saucepan starts to run dry. Keep stirring, cooking, and topping up with additional water until the lentils turn soft. Depending on the pan and the lentils you’ve chosen, cooking can take anywhere from 30-50 minutes. Once soft, continue cooking until the lentils absorb all of the remaining water. You should not need to drain the cooked lentils.
How to Enjoy Lentil Meatballs
These vegetarian meatballs are just as versatile as their traditional meat-based counterparts. Use in a Moroccan meatball tagine (I frequently make this recipe); add to vegetarian “spaghetti and meatballs” or other pasta dishes; make a meatball sub or sandwich; or serve as an appetizer. I also like to crumble a few lentil meatballs into a ground beef-like substitute and toss them into a veggie-friendly “spaghetti bolognese.”
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
These lentil meatballs are great for preparing in advance, because they freeze exceptionally well. I usually make a big double batch of meatballs and freeze them in plastic food storage bags to use as needed.
To refrigerate: Store cooked and cooled leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
To freeze: Bake the meatballs and allow to cool completely. Freeze in an airtight container, or plastic food storage bags, for up to 3 months.
To reheat: Arrange frozen meatballs on a tray and bake in a 400° F / 205° C oven for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Or, add frozen meatballs to a simmering pan of tomato sauce or a vegetarian tagine. No need to thaw—these will cook from frozen in a couple of minutes.
Other vegetarian recipes you might enjoy:
Buffalo Cauliflower
Vegetarian Sausage Rolls
Taco Sweet Potato
Vegetarian PA Dutch Pot Pie
“No Chicken” Noodle Soup
Meatless Pot Pie with Lentils
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
PrintLentil Meatballs
Made with plant-based ingredients like oats, carrots, and legumes, these lentil meatballs offer a vegetarian alternative to traditional meat.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: About 24-26 1 1/2-inch meatballs 1x
- Category: Savory
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
Ingredients
190 grams uncooked brown lentils (1 cup)
1 vegetable bouillon cube
480 milliliters water (2 cups), plus more for topping up
12 milliliters olive oil (1 tablespoon)
175 grams grated carrots (2 8-inch carrots; about 1 1/4 cups packed grated carrots)
50 grams finely diced celery (1 10-inch stalk; about 1/2 cup diced celery)
10 grams minced garlic (3 cloves)
60 grams tomato paste (3 tablespoons)
100 grams rolled oats (1 cup)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large egg
55 grams finely chopped fresh parsley (1/2 bunch; 1 cup chopped parsley)
Olive oil spray, for spritzing meatballs
Instructions
Line a half sheet rimmed baking tray with parchment. Set aside.
Add the lentils and bouillon to a medium saucepan, along with 480 milliters (2 cups) water.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, topping up with additional water as needed. Continue cooking until lentils turn mushy, about 40 minutes.
Scoop cooked lentils into a bowl and set aside to cool, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 30 seconds more. Remove from heat.
Transfer vegetables to a small bowl. Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
With a fork, mash the lentils until a thick, chunky paste forms. Some pieces of lentil should remain visible.
Add the dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, garlic powder, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and egg, and stir until well combined.
Stir in the vegetable mixture.
Stir in the rolled oats.
Stir in the chopped parsley.
With clean hands, roll the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs. You should have about 24-26 total.
Arrange on prepared tray.
Spritz tops of meatballs generously with olive oil spray.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until tops of the meatballs look slightly dry and golden brown. Toss with a metal spatula, or use your hands to turn each meatball. Spritz with additional oil. Cook 10 minutes more.
Serve hot.
Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
