These vegetarian meatballs are SO satisfying and taste incredibly close to traditional meatballs. The secret? A flavorful carrot and white wine sauce that’s simply irresistible.
But here’s the fun part – you can totally customize these meatless wonders! Dip them in hummus or a creamy yogurt sauce for a different experience. I even have a super quick hummus recipe right here on the blog if you’re feeling adventurous!
Want to make them vegan? No problem! Just swap the egg for your favorite egg replacement, like ground flaxseeds.
Let me know if you try these out! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @TheMediterraneanTable – I’d love to see your creations.
For other veggie recites, check out this section
Health Benefits of Lentils (and Why Soaking Matters)
Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse, packed with fiber, protein, and good-for-you phytochemicals. But did you know that soaking them before cooking has some serious perks?
- Faster Cooking Time: Soaked lentils cook way faster and absorb less water, making it easier to get the perfect texture.
- Better Nutrient Absorption: Soaking reduces tannins and polyphenols, which can block the absorption of iron, zinc, and calcium. (Check out this great info on the topic from Pick up Limes, one of my fave plant-based blogs!)
Vegetarian Meat(less)balls
Ingredients
Meat(less)balls
- 360 g of lentils weight already cooked
- 75 g of almonds or other dried fruit
- 200 g brown rice or black rice or buckwheat weight already cooked
- A handful of spinach, parsley or coriander
- 1 egg
- Salt/Pepper
- Olive oil for frying or not if using the oven
- Nutritional Yeast or mushroom powder for flavour Optional
Carrot sauce
- 2 chopped onions
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 50 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 500 g carrot cut into small cubes
- 500 ml of sweet white wine muscat, white port, etc.
- Water or vegetable broth as much as needed for the desired sauce texture
- Salt
Instructions
Meat(less)balls
- Cook the pre-soaked legumes and rice, until they are very tender. Drain and reserve. You can also used canned lentils.
- Clean and chop the spinach or herbs.
- In a bowl mix all the previous ingredients with the egg almond flour and the seasoning
- If the mixture is too runny, add some breadcrumbs.
- If, on the other hand, the mixture is too dry and does not stick, add an additional egg yolk. Note: it helped for me to mash the mixture a bit with a fork, or squish it with my hands.
- Shape into balls the size of a walnut. Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil and fry the meatballs in batches until golden brown. Otherwise bake in the oven until they are a bit browned (around 10-15min)
Carrot Sauce
- Chop the onion, transfer it to a saucepan with the bottom covered in olive oil and sauté until transparent.
- Add the peeled and chopped garlic, give them a few turns.
- Add the chopped carrot, sweet white wine and water or broth. Cook it as necessary so that the carrots are tender (about 20 min)
- Blend with a mixer to obtain a more or less fine sauce. Correct seasoning and texture if needed.
- Combine the fried meatballs with the sauce in a saucepan and boil it all together over low heat for the last 10 minutes so that the balls take on the flavor, or simply serve the meatballs over the sauce.