LENTIL & QUINOA MEATBALLS

Lentil & quinoa meatballs

LENTIL & QUINOA MEATBALLS

#SIAintheKitchen

I had made a quinoa-based salad but overdid it on the making the quinoa. As always, I always tend to cook way too much starch and end up with having so many leftovers. I really didn’t want to make another salad or quinoa cake, so I branched out and thought why not make some meatballs? It had been a little while so I ended up making a completely vegan lentil and quinoa meatballs.

But there isn’t any meat in this at all.

I thought I might’ve needed a binder by ways of an egg and/or cheese but the mixture was soft and most enough due to the lentils and quinoa that it just sticked. Even after forming the balls, the mixture seemed to really hold itself. These were super addictive fresh out of the oven - I couldn’t stop eating them. I also had them with tzatziki sauce and a miso onion gravy with pasta. They were all delicious. I’m sure you can freeze these as well but be sure to double the batch because mine were almost gone instantaneously!

LENTIL & QUINOA MEATBALLS - makes 40 meatballs

  • 1 cup split red lentils

  • 2 1/2 cups water

  • 3 cups cooked tricolour quinoa

  • 1/8 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 white onion, diced

  • 5 garlic cloves, minced

  • 3 large sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only

  • 3 large sprigs wild thyme, leaves only

  • 1 cup bread crumbs

  • 1 tsp herbs de provence

  • 2 tsps kosher salt

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • freshly ground black pepper

  1. Bring the water and the lentils to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until cooked and mushy, about 15 - 20 minutes. Set aside and cool overnight in the fridge.

  2. In a large saucepan over medium-high, heat the vegetable oil and saute the onions and garlic. Add in the fresh thyme and rosemary. Cook the aromatics until the colour has darkened and has caramelized about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

  3. When you’re ready to make the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400F.

  4. In a large bowl, add in the cooked lentils, cooked quinoa, and the remaining ingredients. Fold in all of the ingredients until the mixture is well-incorporated. With a tablespoon, form some of the meatball mixture into balls. Place them onto a lined baking sheet and spray the tops with vegetable oil. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the outside is golden and crispy.

PLANT-BASEDStephanie Siasia in the kitchen, siainthekitchen, vegan meatballs, veggie meatballs, vegan, veg life, lentil meatballs, quinoa meatballs, lentil and quinoa meatballs, leftover quinoa, leftover lentilsComment