Spaghetti is one of my favorite comfort foods. I ate it all the time growing up, and all throughout college it was a staple of mine! Today I am sharing my recipe for vegetarian lentil quinoa meatballs, which are perfect for spaghetti night!
If you love spaghetti too, you should also check out my mushroom lentil bolognase recipe, which is vegan, as well as gluten free! Comfort food at its finest!
Recently I was asked by a reader if one of my favorite lentil recipes, lentil loaf, was actually good. A valid question, given that readers experience with a different loaf recipe.
I should have just said YES!! because I love the recipe and think it is good. Instead I spun off something else, describing how lentils don’t (and shouldn’t) taste like meat. Also, everyone is entitled to their own opinions about food.
Just like my lentil loaf, these meatballs taste great! However, they don’t taste like meat. Delicious is more important to me than replication, because after all, I choose to eat plants and not meat.
Variations to the Vegetarian Lentil Quinoa Meatballs recipe:
- Gluten free swap: I have tried this recipe with ground pecans instead of breadcrumbs. The flavor is great, but the texture is much drier. If you make this swap, be sure to give the meatballs plenty of time in the sauce to moisten up!
- Vegan swap: To avoid the egg in this recipe, I suggest using fresh cooked short grain brown rice instead of the quinoa. The short grain rice is sticky and will help the balls hold their shape. Also, the Parmesan can be replaced with more nutritional yeast.
- Try these meatballs in another dish! Meatballs subs or barbecue meatballs would both be delicious!
- ½ cup lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup water
- 1 small onion, diced
- Splash olive oil
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (preferably whole wheat)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp each: Italian seasoning and steak seasoning
- 3 TBS grated Parmesan
- 2 TBS nutritional yeast
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 cups sauce of choice (marinara for spaghetti)
- 10 oz spaghetti, cooked
- Cover the lentils with water. Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes and drain, removing the bay leaf.
- Combine quinoa with ½ cup water in a rice cooker, or on the stove top. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all the water.
- In a small skillet, combine a splash of olive oil with the diced onion. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Mix in balsamic vinegar and stir to incorporate. Place balsamic onions in a large bowl.
- Add lentils to the bowl with the onion, and coarsely mash with a large spoon. Mix in cooked quinoa, breadcrumbs, garlic, Italian seasoning, steak seasoning, Parmesan, and nutritional yeast. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings as necessary. Mix in egg.
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Form the lentil mixture into balls, using 2-3 tablespoons each. You should make about 20 balls. Place the lentil balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes, flipping half way.
- Add 3 cups marinara (or sauce of choice) to a large skillet. Add the baked lentil balls, turning to coat, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Let this simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until well heated.
- Serve sauce and lentil balls over cooked spaghetti.
These look so yummy, can’t wait to try! Can I freeze these?
Yes, they can absolutely be frozen for later use! I cook them, freeze them, and let them thaw in the fridge before reheating via microwave. Thanks for your question, Danica!
This sounds delicious! I would love to make these meatballs but I don’t have an oven, could I just cook them in a skillet? What do you recommend?
Thank you!
I have never tried it, so I don’t know. I do however cook my veggie burgers in a skillet and they aren’t that differnt (except for size). If you try it and they seem crumbly, add an extra egg. The egg will set and hold them together better for turning in the skillet. Let us know how it turns out as well!
This came out delicious but I had a very difficult time forming the balls, they wouldn’t stay together so I turned it into a lentil loaf! 🤷🏼♀️
Great idea to make a lentil loaf! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavors. If you want to try the meatballs again, I would suggest mashing up the lentils even more, perhaps pulse them in a food processor so they make a little bit more of a paste, and press them in between your cupped palms. The pressure might help to get everything to stay tighly in place!
This recipe turned out beautifully ! I used celery and carrots as well to make a balsamic mirepoix and added a bit of brown sugar to help soften and caramelize the veggies more. I also added chia, sesame, and caraway seeds for some extra flavor, nuttiness and protein.
Savannah, I love that you took this recipe and made it your own! Thanks for letting us know about the additions you enjoyed!
Love this recipe! I only add finely chopped mushrooms, it’s very tasty and delicious!
I love mushrooms in pasta, sounds like a great addition! Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed the recipe Natalie!
How well would these freeze?
Mary, thanks for your question! I think they would freeze very well. I have not tried it with this recipe, but this is what I would do: Cook the meatballs in the oven, cool, then freeze. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge, then heat in your sauce. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
These were so so good! Lots of flavour and pretty easy to make. I used red lentils (that’s what I had on hand) and cooked them to be very mushy. Not sure if the different lentil required only 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs. Looking forward to the leftovers. Served with my homemade pasta sauce!
Vanessa, thanks for letting us know how much you enjoyed the recipe! I’m glad to know that the recipe can be made with red lentils too. Also, homemade pasta sauce sounds delicious!
these turned out great!! made these with the kirkland brand marinara sauce. they were such a hit, I immediately made a second batch to have extras for leftovers. Some notes on the recipe itself-
1. I didn’t have nutritional yeast, so I just omitted it in lieu of a little extra Parmesan.
2. I used some ground flax + water as an egg substitute, but it didn’t seem to be sticking well enough, so I just tossed the egg in there too.
3. I wasn’t very successful at mashing the lentils with a spoon, so I pulsed the ‘wet’ ingredients in the food processor to get them mashed and mixed well.
Sara, thank you for posting and letting us know how the recipe worked for you. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Oh these sound amazing!
Thank you Kaleigh!
I’ve been looking for a meatball recipe like this!
I think you’ll love them Lindsey!
To make these vegan, could I just add a little more nutritional yeast in lieu of parmesan? Obviously using flax eggs as well.
Emma, I have not tried it, but that is exactly what I would do. Also, make sure you mash the lentils well. If they are a bit gummy then they will help the flax eggs hold everything together. Let us know how it turns out!
These look SO good. Love how versatile lentils can be!
Yes! Lentils can be used in so many ways! I love how loaded with protein and nutrients they are!
You post amazing sounding recipes faster than I have time to try them 😀 looks yummy though!
This means so much, Alex! I wish I had time to post more often. Let me know when you try a recipe, I love feedback 🙂
It was so good we got halfway thru eating it before we remembered to take a pic!