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Lentil & Mushroom Meatballs {Vegan, High Protein, Grain-Free}

Lentil & mushroom meatballs that are vegan and grain-free! High in protein and low in calories (10 grams protein, 149 calories per 4 meatballs), they are also nut-free, very high in fiber, and can be made without oil.

lentil and mushroom meatballs on a bed of zucchini noodles (zoodles)

Vegan Ground Beef Meatballs

Given all of the cookie recipes I post here on Power Hungry, you might think desserts comprise all of my meals.

Not all of them :).

For example, I love a good meatless meatball, like my Lentil and Mushroom Meatballs. Pair them with noodles or zoodles, tuck into submarine sandwiches, or serve straight up as a snack or appetizer.

Nutritional Benefits of the Meatballs

You’ll fall in love with their taste and texture, as well as the fact that they are:

  • Vegan
  • Grain-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • High in protein (almost 10 grams for 4 meatballs)
  • Very high in fiber

close up shot of marinara-covered lentil and mushroom meatballs

Ingredients for the Mushroom Lentil Meatballs

The ingredients for these meatballs are minimal (and frugal), too.

Here’s what you will need: uncooked lentils, mushrooms, flaxseed meal, and onion, coconut flour, dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence, nutritional yeast, garlic, a bit of olive oil (I have an option in the notes for no oil, if needed), salt & pepper.

ingredients for the lentil and mushroom meatballs

How to Make the Meatballs

Begin by cooking the lentils in a saucepan with enough water to cover the lentils by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil over high heat and  then simmer for 10 minutes.

You’re aiming for mostly, but not entirely, cooked lentils. They should be soft, but still have a bit of bite, and definitely not falling apart.

Immediately rinse the cooked lentils under cold water (to stop further cooking) and drain. Place the lentils in a food processor, followed by the mushrooms (cut these into pieces), nutritional yeast, and flaxseed meal. I don’t recommend a blender; it can over-process the meatball mixture.

The mushrooms and nutritional yeast add so much umami flavor to the meatballs. The former also helps to keep the texture of the meatballs from being dense. Nobody needs dense meatballs.

Pulse the whole mélange until it is chopped to a “meaty” texture (see below). It does not (and should not) be completley uniform in texture, but most of the lentils should be broken down.

Be sure to stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the food processor bowl several times so that the mixture is evenly chopped.

Ok, one more step before shaping and baking the meatballs. The extra time spent making these is well worth it, trust me.

Time to deepen the flavor of the meatballs with aromatics. Cook a medium onion (chopped) in 1 tablespoon olive oil until it is soft, about 5 minutes. If you cannot/do not eat oil, I have an option for you in the notes.

Next, add 3/4 cup (175 L) water, along with the chopped lentil-mushroom mixture, 4 cloves garlic (you can use garlic powder if pressed for time), Italian herbs, salt and  pepper.

***Update 5/1/2019: Important Note***Adding the water at this stage allows you to cook over medium-high heat, to brown (and deepen the flavor) of the ingredients in the meatballs, without scorching and drying out the meatballs. Cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes longer until slightly browned and much of the liquid has been absorbed. The mixture should be thick and meaty, not wet. If it is still wet, cook several minutes longer (if they are too wet, they will not be very firm after baking). 

The mixture should look fairly dry (see below), but will still be slightly moist.

Next, stir in 2 tablespoons of coconut flour. Rolled oats are often used to absorb moisture and act as a binder for meatless meatballs. Flaxseed meal handles much of the binding in this recipe, while coconut flour absorbs much of the moisture (while still keeping the meatballs tender). It also contributes a slightly springy texture, making them taste a lot like their meaty name.

Let the lentil mixture cool until it can be easily handled. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F (200C). and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Shape & Bake the Meatballs

Finally, time for some meatball shaping. I used a medium sized cookie scoop (I had to sneak another reference to cookies in here) to create meatballs that were about 1 and 1/4-inches (3.175 cm).

Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and the surface of the meatballs looks somewhat dry, like so:

Serve immediately (e.g., with marinara sauce, noodles, zucchini noodles, etc.) or cool completely and store for future use.

Happy Meatless Monday, everyone!

More Easy, Plant-Based Meat Recipes to Try:

Vegan Oat Mushroom Ground Beef

3-Ingredient Almond Flour Vegetable Nuggets

Mushroom Almond Flour Ground Beef (2 ingredients)

Vegan Lentil Taco Meat

Vegan Ground Beef

Lentil & Vegetable Kefta

Grain-Free Lentil Loaf

Lentil and Mushroom Meatballs {Vegan, High Protein, Grain-Free, Nut-Free}

Lentil and Mushroom Meatballs {Vegan, High Protein, Grain-Free, Nut-Free}

Yield: 32 meatballs
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Lentil and mushroom meatballs that are vegan and grain-free! High in protein and low in calories (10 grams protein, 149 calories per 4 meatballs), they are also nut-free, very high in fiber, and can be made without oil.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
  • water
  • 8 ounces mushrooms (white or crimini), quartered
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (or oil of choice)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup (175 mL) water
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
  • fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils and enough water to cover by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes (the lentils will be slightly undercooked). Drain and rinse under cool water. Place lentils in a food processor.
  2. Add the mushroom pieces, nutritional yeast, and flaxseed meal to food processor with lentils. Pulse, using on/off pules, until chopped to a meaty texture (see photo), scraping sides and bottom of bowl several times so that the mixture is evenly chopped.
  3. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add the 3/4 cup (175 L) water, lentil-mushroom mixture, garlic, Italian herbs, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes longer until slightly browned and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Note: The mixture should be thick and meaty, not wet. If it is still wet, cook several minutes longer (if they are too wet, they will not be very firm after baking).
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut flour until blended. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cool.
  5. Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  6. Shape lentil mixture into 1 and 1/4-inch (3.175 cm) meatballs; place on prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
  7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately (e.g., with marinara sauce, noodles, zucchini noodles, etc.) or cool completely and store for future use (see notes).

Notes

Storage: Store the cooled meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Lentils: I used common brown lentils, but you can use any variety of lentils in this recipe.

Oil-Free Option: Cook the onions in 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetarian broth or water instead of oil.

Nutrition Information
Serving Size 4 meatballs
Amount Per Serving Calories 149Total Fat 3.1gSaturated Fat 0.3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 290mgCarbohydrates 21.4gFiber 9.4gSugar 1.9gProtein 9.7g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @powerhungrycamilla on Instagram and hashtag it #powerhungrycamilla

 

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Debra

Saturday 15th of April 2023

These look delicious and the recipe sounds 'right' to me (for my tastes). I never have coconut flour around, but always have oats and oat flour - do you think pulsing some oats to use instead of the coconut would work? I also have quinoa flakes and was thinking they might work as well, but not sure about their binding capacity - any opinion on that?

Camilla

Sunday 16th of April 2023

Hi Debra,

I think either ground oats/oat flour or blitzed quinoa flakes would work well in this recipe. You will need to add more than the amount of coconut flour (add a little bit more at a time until you have a consistency that adheres into a "dough") Should be delicious!

Iggy

Sunday 25th of December 2022

So good! I used green lentils and paired them with a light cashew dip to avoid nightshades and my goodness, they're wonderful.

Camilla

Tuesday 3rd of January 2023

Whoohoo! That sounds so good, Iggy ?

Erin

Tuesday 7th of December 2021

Hi Camilla, I'm about to make this recipe but do not have coconut flour. What alternatives will help the consistency most favorably?

Camilla

Monday 26th of February 2024

Hi Erin, you could use some finally ground, nuts or seeds, including almond flour, or almond meal, or finally ground, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Coconut flour is really absorbent and used in very small quantities compared to pretty much every other flour, so you will probably need to use at least twice the amount of the nut or seed flour compared to the amount of coconut flour.

Casey

Tuesday 29th of December 2020

These were so delicious! I actually added cajun spices since that is what I had on hand and they turned out great.

Camilla

Tuesday 26th of April 2022

That sounds delicious, Casey! I am just across the border from Louisiana, so Cajun spices sound great as an addition to these.

Debbie

Sunday 11th of October 2020

Hi! I was just wondering if you could cook them in a pot of sauce,like you would real meatballs? I thought maybe they would absorb some of the tomato sauce? Or will they just fall apart?

Camilla

Friday 23rd of October 2020

No, they really need to be cooked first to sear them off (otherwise they will fall apart )

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