These Lentil Meatballs in Tomato Sauce are quite possibly the best vegetarian meatballs ever. They´re filled with flavors, made with heart-healthy ingredients, and super easy to make. Serve them next to some roasted potatoes and a bottle of Spanish red wine for a delicious meal.
To make this recipe, I used dried green lentils. You can also use the brown ones if you like. Either way, when you’re working with dried lentils, there is no need to soak them overnight. Just give them a quick rinse, and they are ready to go.
For the tomato sauce, I used canned tomato sauce, which is very similar to passata. You can also finely grate fresh tomatoes if you prefer; about 8 tomatoes will do the trick. Either way, what really flavors the tomato sauce is the sweet smoked Spanish paprika. As it gives the sauce an incredible depth of goodness.
TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: The secret to these lentil meatballs is to ensure the lentil mixture is well bound. That way the lentil meatballs don´t fall apart when being cooked. Once you have the mixture ready, make sure to squeeze it in your hands before shaping the meatballs. If you see it´s too dry, add in some whisked egg to the mixture, if it’s too wet, add in some more bread crumbs.
Key Ingredients & Cookware I used in this Recipe:
MY COOKWARE
MY CHEF´S KNIFE
EXTRA VIRGIN SPANISH OLIVE OIL
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Watch the Video Below on How to Make Lentil Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Lentil Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
FOR THE LENTIL MEATBALLS
- 1/2 cup dried green lentils 90 grams
- 2 cups water 480 ml
- 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs 40 grams
- 1 large egg
- 1 shallot (finely chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (finely grated)
- 1 small carrot (finely grated)
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley 8 grams
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin 2 grams
- sea salt & black pepper
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika 2.50 grams
- 1 can tomato sauce (passata) 15 oz / 425 grams
- sea salt & black pepper
EXTRAS
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 60 ml
- handful chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
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Add the lentils into a fine sieve and rinse under water, then add them into a sauce pan and add in 2 cups (480 ml) water, heat with a high heat, once it comes to a boil, place a lid on the pan and lower to a low heat
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Once the lentils are just cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes in my case (check package instructions), remove the pan from the heat, drain the lentils into a fine sieve and rinse under cold water, then transfer into a large bowl and using a potato masher or a large fork, mash down on the lentils until they are well mashed
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Add the bread crumbs over the mashed lentils, crack in the egg, add in the chopped shallot, grated garlic, grated carrot, chopped parsley and cumin, then season with sea salt & black pepper, mix together, once well mixed, using a large wooden spoon, push down on the mixture until you get a compact paste-like texture
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To shape the lentil meatballs, grab a spoonful of the mixture and squeeze it in your hands, then shape into a ball, about the size of a golf ball, if your mixture is to wet to work with, add in more bread crumbs, if it's too dry, and in some whisked egg
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Heat a large fry pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil
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After a couple of minutes add in the lentil meatballs, all in a single layer and evenly spaced out, fry for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden fried all around, then transfer them into a dish with paper towels
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Using the same pan with the same heat, add in the chopped garlic, mix continuously, after 30 seconds and the garlic is fragrant, add in the paprika, quickly mix together, then add in the canned tomato sauce and season with sea salt & black pepper, mix together, then add the lentil meatballs back into the pan, give each one a gentle flip so they're fully coated in the sauce, lower to a low-medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes
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Transfer the lentil meatballs into a serving dish, top off with the tomato sauce and chopped parsley, enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Get the Spanish Olive Oil I used to make this Recipe
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Woodson
09 . Dec . 2024Albondigas muy deliciosas, y muy faciles.
Spain on a Fork
Cuanto me alegro! Saludos 🙂
10 . Dec . 2024David
26 . Nov . 2024Hi Albert,
I love your channel and I’ve followed you for ages on YT but just started using the web site.
I noticed that when I change the Servings setting, the Cups measurement changes but the grams doesn’t.
Can we assume that the gram measurements are for 4 servings and do our own calculations?
Best Wishes from the UK.
Spain on a Fork
It only changes the imperial settings not metric, so if you double the setting, just double the metric measurements 🙂 Much love
30 . Nov . 2024Monica
10 . Nov . 2024My husband and I made these last night for dinner. We served with garlic bread and salad. They were really good. Regarding the sauce, I used some natural tomate triturado with added passata, garlic, pepper, dried basil and sweet paprika. I would advise others that the paprika flavor is quite strong but not overpowering for me as I used the sweet paprika (not hot). Others may find the flavor to be too spicy. The meatballs were tasty but some did fall apart. This might have been due to not deep frying them but rather using only light oil coat on pan. Overall, it was a great recipe. Thanks!
Spain on a Fork
Glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment 🙂 Much love
13 . Nov . 2024Neil
Why are we no longer getting print buttons and no longer the videos?
08 . Nov . 2024Spain on a Fork
On my end everything is still there, try refreshing the page 🙂 Much love
10 . Nov . 2024