Vegan Lentil Meatballs

                                                           

                                                         Vegan Lentil Meatballs 

Made from scratch, Vegan Lentil Meatballs made from healthy, plant based ingredients without too much prep needed!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml)
1 cup white onion, diced (125 g or 1/2 a large onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 heaping tablespoon)
1 flax egg   directions follow
1 cup cooked green lentils (150 g)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt + pepper, each
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons gluten free soy sauce/tamari
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 cup ground almonds (100 g)
2 cups marinara sauce for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and set aside. 

Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a large skillet over a medium heat. Once warm add the diced onion and saute about 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute until fragrant. Remove from heat.

Add the onions and garlic to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients. Pulse until a slightly sticky dough forms. Make sure you don't over process the mixture or it will be more difficult to roll and shape into balls.

Scoop out the mixture, 1 heaping tablespoon at a time and roll into 

little balls. Place on your lined baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch space in between each ball. You should end up with about 18-20 balls.
Place in the middle of the oven and bake 25 minutes. Halfway through the cook-time take the lentil balls out and flip.

Once done, let the balls cool for a few minutes and then mix into a warmed marinara sauce and serve.

Yield: 18-20 meatballs Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 25 minutesTotal Time: 35 minutes

How To Make A Flax Egg
1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 2 tablespoons water.  Just mix the two ingredients together in a small cup or small bowl and set aside for about 15 minutes. As the mixture sets, it will begin to gel or get gloopy. 

Hot or warm water will gel up quicker, but I’m usually lazy and just use cold or room temperature water. I’ve seen a lot recipes for flax eggs that use 2 1/2 – 3 tablespoons water. I personally find that my ‘egg’ ends up a bit too watery when I use anything over 2 tablespoons. As you get more comfortable with egg free/vegan baking you can play around and see what feels good for you.

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