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Easy Vegan Meatballs (with Lentils and Walnuts)

Emily Miller
These Easy Vegan Meatballs with lentils and walnuts are comforting and satisfying when you want something hearty and substantial, yet not heavy. They are perfect with pasta or zoodles and marinara sauce!
5 from 78 votes
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Meatballs 35 mins
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 366 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup dry green lentils rinsed until water runs clear
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt divided
  • 2 cups walnut halves
  • 4 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
  • 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
  • 1 tablespoon psyllium husk
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed (leave whole)
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1 Medjool date pitted
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large shallot minced approx. ⅓ cup
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper fresh ground

Instructions
 

  • Place lentils in a medium pot and cover with 2 cups of water, add ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover loosely. Simmer until lentils around 20 minutes, until lentils are soft but not falling apart. If they are not done at this point, check every 5 minutes until done. Strain any liquid. Let cool on a baking sheet.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
  • Place 2 cups walnuts in the food processor. Briefly pulse a couple of times until small pieces remain with no large chunks. Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt, parsley, coconut oil, flaxseed meal, psyllium husk, fennel seed, poultry seasoning, date, black pepper, garlic, shallot, and black pepper in the food processor. Add 2 cups of the cooked lentils, Process in bursts until the mixture holds together. Place the mixture into a bowl and stir the ingredients briefly to make sure they are combined.
  • With a cookie scoop, make balls that are approximately 2 inches in size. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until they start browning. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

  • This recipe makes 12 to 16 balls. If you would like the meatballs to be less calorie-dense, make smaller meatballs than the ones pictured. I have made 16 slightly smaller meatballs and they are just as delicious!
  • If you are serving these with zucchini noodles, spiralize one zucchini per person.
  • Refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days or freeze for 1 to 2 months
  • The calorie count is for the meatballs only; the marinara and zucchini are not included.

Nutrition

Serving: 2meatballsCalories: 366kcalCarbohydrates: 23.4gProtein: 10.8gFat: 27.2gSaturated Fat: 5.8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3.4gSodium: 262.6mgPotassium: 233.4mgFiber: 8.8gSugar: 4.6gVitamin A: 275.2IUVitamin C: 4.8mgCalcium: 63.2mgIron: 4.2mg
Keyword comfort, easy, Gluten-free, healthy, lentil, walnut
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Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.