Easy Baked Vegan Lentil Meatballs with Eggplant
Hearty vegan lentil meatballs are a delicious meatless and comforting meal. They are filling, made from wholesome ingredients, and easy to make. You can enjoy these plant-based lentil meatballs over spaghetti for a comforting and complete meal.
Servings: 12 meatballs
Calories: 110kcal
Equipment
- 1 12 x 8 baking dish *greased with avocado oil or spray
- 1 suate pan
- 1 large cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water)
- ½ medium eggplant, thinly diced
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 small red or yellow onion, minced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (17.6 oz) container of cooked brown lentils (2.5 cups)
- ¼ cup vegetable stock *You may need another 1-2 tablespoons
- ¼ cup minced parsley
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups jarred marinara sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make your flax eggs in a small bowl and set the bowl aside to thicken.
- Add avocado oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add the thinly diced eggplant and saute for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 minced garlic cloves during the last minute of cooking. Transfer the eggplant and sautéed garlic to a bowl to cool. *Make sure your eggplant is not overcooked. It will continue to cook in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 12x8 baking dish with avocado oil or olive oil.
- Add another tablespoon of avocado oil to the same pan and heat it over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add the diced onion. Cook and stir until it becomes translucent and fragrant. Add 3 minced garlic cloves at the last minute of cooking. Stir and cook for one minute.
- Add the cooked lentils and 1/4 cup vegetable stock and cook another 3 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
- Turn the heat to low. Carefully use a potato masher and mash the lentils for about one minute. *Remember that the pan is hot and still on the heat. *Add additional veggie stock one tablespoon at a time as needed. You are looking for a sticky mixture but not wet.
- Add the remainder of the ingredients, mix it all together, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. This includes nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, parsley, Italian seasoning, flaxeggs, salt, and black pepper. Set the mixture aside to slightly cool once finished cooking.
- Add the sauteed eggplant pieces to the bottom of the oiled baking sheet in an even layer. Pour 1.5 cups of your favorite marinara sauce over the top of the eggplant, mix it all up, and then spread it out evenly.
- Using a large cookie scoop, grab a scoopful of the lentil mixture, place it in the palm of your hands, and roll it evenly and tightly into a ball. Place it on top of the eggplant mixture in a single layer. Do this for all of the mixture which will make 12 meatballs. Place them in 3 rows of 4.
- Use a spoon to place one spoonful of marinara sauce over each meatball. Allow it to fall naturally and do not spread it over the entire meatball. I find that the meatballs bake better when they aren't entirely covered in sauce. Optionally, add additional nutritional yeast over the top of everything.
- Place the uncovered meatballs into the oven for 30 minutes.Allow the meatballs to cool for about 5 minutes and then dig in. You can also add optional minced parsley over the top of the finished meatballs.
Notes
Store leftovers in an air-tight container and in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, add the desired serving to a microwavable bowl, place a paper towel over the top of the bowl, and heat in 45-second intervals.
When mashing the lentils, do not overdo it. You want about 1/3 of the lentils unmashed to give the meatballs a meaty texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 304IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg