Recipe courtesy of Daniel Holzman
Vegetarian Meatballs
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: about 24 golf-ball-size meatballs
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Calories
- 123 calorie
- Total Fat
- 6 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 1 grams
- Cholesterol
- 25 milligrams
- Sodium
- 272 milligrams
- Carbohydrates
- 13 grams
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 grams
- Protein
- 6 grams
- Sugar
- 2 grams
- Total: 2 hr 10 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Inactive: 25 min
- Cook: 1 hr 25 min
Ingredients
2 cups green lentils
2 carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 stalks celery, minced (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
4 sprigs thyme, picked (about 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Basil-Spinach Pesto, for serving, recipe follows
Spinach-Basil Pesto:
1/8 cup walnuts
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/8 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium pot, add the lentils and 2 quarts water. Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the lentils until soft but not falling apart, about 25 minutes.
- Pour the cooked lentils through a colander and let cool. In a large frying pan set over a medium-high heat, saute the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, thyme and salt with the 1/4 cup olive oil until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.
- When the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, stir in the tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens, about 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently, until completely cooked and browned on edges, about 15 minutes. Remove vegetables from frying pan and set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled vegetables with lentils and all remaining ingredients, save for the 2 tablespoons olive oil and the pesto. Mix until well combined. Place the mixture in the refrigerator to cool completely, about 25 minutes.
- Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil into a large 9-by-12-inch baking dish, making sure to coat evenly. Roll the lentil mixture into round, golf-ball-size meatballs, making sure to pack the balls firmly. Place lentil balls into the oiled baking dish, making sure none of the meatballs touch one another.
- Roast the lentil balls until firm and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Allow the meatballs to cool for five minutes before removing them from the tray. Serve with pesto.
Spinach-Basil Pesto:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread the walnuts out on a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and roast until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Set the nuts aside to cool.
- Fill a large stockpot three-quarters of the way full with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Next, fill a large bowl with ice water.
- Drop the spinach and basil into boiling water and give the leaves a stir. After 1 minute, remove the greens and plunge them into ice water. Discard the boiling water.
- Once cool, remove the greens from the ice bath and squeeze them dry. Give them a rough chop and transfer to a food processor.
- Add the salt, olive oil and Parmesan to the food processor and blend until a uniform, pesto-like consistency is reached.