Lentil Meatballs with Curry Sauce
Who needs take-out when you can make these delicious vegan lentil meatballs with curry sauce served over brown rice and topped with chopped cashews?
Servings: 5
Calories: 439kcal
Ingredients
For the Lentils
- 1 cup dried small brown lentils
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped (~1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
For the Curry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 6-7 baby bell peppers, chopped (~1 cup)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste (double check it is vegan)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
- 1/2 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 15 oz. can coconut milk (full fat OR lite are fine)
- 1/2 5 oz bag spinach
Instructions
Make the Lentil Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rinse the dried lentils in a colander under cold running water. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add the broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until lentils are tender, but not mushy. (They should still have a little bit of a bite to them and hold their shape). Drain any additional cooking liquid. Set aside to cool. You should have about 2 cups of cooked lentils.
- In a saucepan, add the oil and onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic, red wine, soy sauce, tomato paste, oregano, and rosemary. Sauté until liquid from wine has cooked off.
- Add the lentils, sautéed onion mixture, nutritional yeast, and breadcrumbs to the food processor. Pulse until lentils form a chunky dough that can be formed into balls. Too mushy? Add more breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time. Make sure you don't over-process the lentils or you will have trouble shaping it.
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Form 15 two inch balls with the lentil dough. Arrange in a single layer on your baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Make the Sauce
- To make the curry sauce, add the oil, onion, and peppers to a skillet. Saute for 3-4 minutes until onion and peppers are tender. Add the garlic, curry paste, ginger, soy sauce, and coconut milk. Stir well to combine.
- Bring to a simmer and then stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
Combine
- Add the meatballs and gently stir to coat is sauce. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until meatballs and sauce are heated through.
- Serve over cooked brown rice and top with chopped cilantro and chopped cashews.
Video
Notes
Nutrition facts below based on full fat coconut milk. Total fat and kcals will be reduced if using lite canned coconut milk.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/5 Recipe | Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 524mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g