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We love including these Veggie Lentil Meatballs in our meatless meals as a great way to use up leftover lentils. Whether you’re serving with pasta, rice, zoodles or your favorite grains, lentil balls are a great way to add protein, fiber, iron and more.

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I love lentils, but I was craving a new way to cook with them. As a Registered Dietitian and food blogger, I’m always sharing with families how nutrient-dense lentils are and how easy they are to add to nearly anything.

But, I knew I needed a tasty lentil meatball recipe I could recommend, so I got to testing.

I tested these lentil balls with both red and brown lentils, and I preferred the color of the red ones.

The brown still has good flavor, so you can use whatever variety you prefer. I just know that I love them so much on sweetpotato spaghetti or any type of zoodles or pasta.

Why You’ll Love Veggie Lentil Meatballs

• Great for kids – Since lentils are so full of nutrition, these lentil balls can be a great way to introduce lentils to toddlers, or even babies, once they can grasp their food. If you ever have leftover or pre-cooked lentils, this is a great recipe for leftover lentils.
• High in protein and fiber – I love lentil meatballs because they offer both protein and fiber, which combine tremendously to help balance blood sugar and help you feel full and satiated. Another reason why we love this Lentil Hummus Recipe.
• Fun way to introduce veggies– We love these lentil veggie balls as a fun meatball alternative – great for the whole family! We used a shallot and shredded carrot here, but you could also try in zucchini, shredded parsnips, sweet potatoes, etc.
• Easy meal prep option – The recipe yields between 15-18 meatballs, making these lentil bites a great meal prep option to add to salads, pasta, subs, or eat on their own. Lentil meatballs also freeze well!

Want some more fun kid-friendly recipe ideas for snacks and meal prep? Check out our dietitian-approved 30 healthy recipes for toddlers and kids!

I want healthy recipes to help my picky eater!

What You Need

Here’s what you’ll need for these red lentil balls.

• olive oil
• shallot or small onion
• garlic
• cooked lentils
• large carrot
• egg
• breadcrumbs
• shredded cheese
• Italian seasoning
• marinara sauce

How to Make Lentil Veggie Balls

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. While your oven is preheating, you can dice and start to saute your shallot in olive oil.

Next, add your ingredients to a food processor or high speed blender. Process until the mixture is well combined and “sticky.”

Scoop the batter out onto a baking sheet, giving each lentil ball enough space – don’t overcrowd!

Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until they hold their shape and a fork comes out clean.

Tips for Success

Here are some tips that I recommend for the best outcome:

• A cookie scooper was the perfect size and shape for getting that ideal meatball shape.
• It’s really important that you use pre-cooked lentils, or cooked lentils that have been cooled. If you process the letils when they are just cooked and warm, they will be too “smooshy” and won’t hold together well.
• Process the mixture longer if you want a “meatier” texture. Process it for less time if you want the lentils to be more in tact and crisiper in the lentil meatballs.
• Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in a tupperware or airtight container. Alternatively, you can freeze for up to three months. Let lentil meatballs cool completely and place in a stasher bag, freezer friendly bag or tupperware in a single layer.
  
  

Servings 16 meatballs

Veggie Lentil Meatballs

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN

We love including these Veggie Lentil Meatballs in our meatless meals as a great way to use up leftover lentils. Whether you're serving with pasta, rice, zoodles or your favorite grains, lentil balls are a great way to add protein, fiber, iron and more.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 22 minutes mins

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot or small onion, diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1.5 cups cooked lentils or precooked lentils* I used red
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese I used parmesan
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 Tbsp marinara sauce
• Salt and pepper, as needed

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium saucepan, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and diced shallot. Sautee for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.
3. Add shallot, garlic, lentils, carrot, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, italian seasoning, and marinara sauce to food processor.
4. Process until the mixture is well-combined and the texture reaches an ideal “meatball” texture. (see notes below). If mixture is too soft, you can add more breadcrumbs.^^
5. Scoop mixture and roll into a ball (about the size of 1-2 Tbsp) and place on greased baking sheet. Repeat until all lentil mixture is used.
6. Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until meatballs firm up and don’t “smoosh,” or until starting to brown.
7. Allow meatballs to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Serve with sweetpotato noodles, zoodles, or favorite pasta noodles

*I tested with red and green lentils and both work. This lentil balls recipe works best with cooked and cooled lentils or pre-steamed lentils. 

^^Process the mixture longer if you want everything to be more blended and “meatier.” Process less if you want a crunchier lentil exterior

Nutrition

Serving: 1meatballCalories: 54kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 3gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 63mgPotassium: 103mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 690IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?Let us know how it was!