Easy Lentil ‘Meatballs’ and Spaghetti

When you fancy a satisfying pasta dish but want something healthy too, we have a solution for you! A rich and sweet tomato sauce (with our secret ingredient) perfectly coats the spaghetti! And you have the star of the show sitting right on top: our 4-ingredient baked lentil meatballs! A filling, vegetable-packed dish that’s not only healthy but just as delicious as the real deal!

The first vegetarian meatball dish that we made was Mushroom Meatballs. I absolutely loved it, but after having the meal regularly for about a year, Seb decided to confess something: he didn’t like it… I was in shock (not because Seb criticised my cooking, but because I liked those Mushroom Balls so much)!

Every cloud has its silver lining though! I started experimenting with other ingredients to make better, more flavoursome, juicy vegetarian ‘meatballs’. And guess what? Seb loves these! Made with just 4 ingredients: green lentils, red onion, onion chutney and breadcrumbs, these are filling, moist, with a hint of sweetness and hold their shape wonderfully when baked!

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We served these easy lentil meatballs with a wonderful carrot, mushroom and tomato sauce! What makes a good tomato sauce? For us, it has to be rich, and there’s no easier way to achieve that than to add some extra tomato paste to your chopped tomato-based sauce. If you want even more flavour, add a splash of balsamic vinegar too!

Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan.

First, prepare your lentil balls. Place drained and rinsed green lentils in a food processor and pulse to arrive at a rough paste.

Tip them into a bowl, add red onion, chutney and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Using your hands, shape 8 equal balls and place them on one side of a large baking tray.

Place quartered mushrooms on the other side of your lentil ball tray, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Then put the tray in the oven for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the grated carrots and chopped garlic and fry on medium heat for about 5 minutes until starting to soften.

Add tomato paste, chutney, mixed herbs and crumble in a stock cube. Finally, add 100ml of water and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Mix and leave to cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. When the mushrooms are cooked, stir them into the sauce, just before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

In the meantime, cook your spaghetti. To serve, divide the pasta between bowls, top with tomato sauce and lentil balls!

For other Vegan recipes, please visit our selection here. You might like our recipes for:

• Middle Eastern Falafel with Couscous & Red Shatta
• Green Bean and Chickpea Biryani with Crispy Onions
• Vegan Yasai Pad Thai

Easy Lentil Meatballs with Spaghetti

When you fancy a satisfying pasta dish but want something healthy too, we have a solution here for you! A rich and sweet tomato sauce (with our secret ingredient) perfectly coats the spaghetti! And you have the star of the show sitting right on top – our 4-ingredient baked lentil meatballs! A filling, vegetable-packed dish that's not only healthy but just as delicious as the real deal!

5 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Italian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings 2 people

Calories 601 kcal

Equipment

• Food Processor or Powerful Smoothie Maker

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

For the Lentil Balls:

• 1 tin of green lentils (400g) drained and rinsed
• 1 small red onion finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon red onion chutney
• 30 g breadcrumbs

For the Sauce:

• 150 g closed cup mushrooms quartered
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 carrot coarsely grated
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon red onion chutney
• 1 vegetable stock cube + 100 ml of water
• 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 170 g spaghetti

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan.
• First, prepare your lentil balls. Place drained and rinsed green lentils in a food processor and pulse to arrive at a rough paste.
• Tip them into a bowl, add red onion, chutney and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
• Using your hands, shape 8 equal balls and place them on one side of a large baking tray.
• Place quartered mushrooms on the other side of your lentil ball tray, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Then put the tray in the oven for 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the grated carrots and chopped garlic and fry on medium heat for about 5 minutes until starting to soften.
• Add tomato paste, chutney, mixed herbs and crumble in a stock cube. Finally, add 100ml of water and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Mix and leave to cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. When the mushrooms are cooked, stir them into the sauce, just before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• In the meantime, cook your spaghetti.
• To serve, divide the pasta between bowls, top with tomato sauce and lentil balls!

Nutrition

Calories: 601kcalCarbohydrates: 117gProtein: 28gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1094mgPotassium: 1461mgFiber: 16gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 5851IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 164mgIron: 9mg

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