Italian seasoned mashed lentil quinoa meatballs look just like real meatballs, perfect for pairing with your favorite marinara sauce and nestling into a big bowl of warm noodles. Vegan, plant-based, nut-free, soy-free.
Now that my husband and I are both vegan, I’ve tried to recreate all of our favorite meals– vegan style.
When I saw my husband popping lentil quinoa meatballs into his mouth right out of the skillet when he thought I wasn’t looking, I knew this recipe was a keeper!
These vegan meatballs taste so similar to regular meatballs that you won’t even miss the meat! They’re jam-packed with flavor and texture, they’re seriously delicious!
Italian lentil quinoa meatballs are really easy to assemble, they’re packed with protein, and they bear a striking resemblance to real meatballs. They’re delicate, with big Italian flavor and baked to toasty perfection.
Lentil Quinoa Meatballs: Substitutions
I’ve also made these lentil quinoa meatballs with almond flour or pumpkin seeds in place of the blended sunflower seeds. The almond flour gives them a delicious nutty flavor, but sunflower seeds are very inexpensive so I usually will pick those up instead of the almond flour.
I served the lentil quinoa meatballs with linguine and tomato basil sauce, but you could use them for “meat” ball subs, or shape them into bigger patties for lentil burgers. I’ll definitely be using the leftovers to make some quinoa lentil meatball sandwiches this week.
These lentil quinoa meatballs definitely satisfied my craving for spaghetti and meatballs, and Travis really loved them, so this recipe is definitely going into my meal plan rotation. I hope your family loves them just as much!
If you have any leftovers, we like to use the meatballs for vegan meatball subs with lots of tomato sauce, vegan cheese, and toasty rolls. It’s health-ish comfort food that your family will love!
Related Vegan Lentil Recipes
Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with Pea Pesto Lentils
Creamy Coconut Lentil Chickpea Spinach Soup
One Pot Sweet Potato Lentil Chili
Italian seasoned mashed lentil quinoa meatballs look just like real meatballs, perfect for pairing with your favorite marinara sauce and nestling into a big bowl of warm noodles. Vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free.
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp water (or you can use ground chia seeds)
- 3/4 cup uncooked green lentils, rinsed & drained well
- 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained (I've also used cooked cauliflower in a pinch)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, ground to a fine powder (or pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, minced
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (or gluten-free bread crumbs)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
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Cook the quinoa and lentils separately, set aside.
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Combine flaxseed and water in a small bowl, stir and set in the fridge to setup for 10 minutes.
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Blend the sunflower seeds to a fine powder.
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Add the cooked lentils, sunflower seed powder, onions, basil, Italian seasonings, oats, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cooked quinoa to a food processor. Pulse it a few times until everything is combined. You want a chunky consistency, be careful not to blend the mixture too much.
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Pour the flax egg into the mixture and pulse it a few more times to mix it in.
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The mixture will be slightly sticky. I've found that the easiest way to mold the meatballs is to roll a heaping spoonful of the mixture in between your two palms. Try to keep your fingers out of the way because the mixture will stick to them and get messy. Form the mixture into 10-12 golfball-sized (or 24 mini) "meatballs."
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Place the lentil meatballs on a parchment lined tray and bake for 15-20 (flipping once halfway through) or until both sides are lightly browned.
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Serve "meatballs" over pasta or zucchini noodles with your favorite marinara sauce.
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Optional: I like to put the meatballs in a pan with marinara sauce over low heat to keep them warm. They absorb all the flavors of the sauce and taste even better!
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs or oats to make the recipe gluten-free.
- Optional: Right before baking the meatballs, you can brush a light layer of olive oil over each meatball to give them a little more color while roasting. However, if you use the oil it won't be considered plant-based anymore.
What’s your favorite veggie for meat swap recipe? Let me know in the comments!
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What a great vegetarian take on spaghetti and meatballs. Very innovative.
Thanks, Michelle! I try to do meatless meals a few nights a week so I have to think of ways to transform our favorite meals!
What could I use instead of smashed sunflower seeds? I could try it , wondering if I could use something I have already ..
Hi, Gina! I haven’t tried using other seeds but maybe pumpkin seeds would work?
I tried them with pumpkin seeds and they turned out just fine 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that, Kirsten! Thank you for letting me know!!
Wow, Stacey! These look and sound AH-mazing! I am a big lentil fan too and love how versatile they are. What an awesome idea to make meatballs out of them! My family loves Italian food so I can see these in our near future! Can’t wait! 🙂
Thank you, Joscelyn! I was so shocked and happy when Travis said he LOVED these, he never says that about vegetarian meals I make lol He always wants meat but he really liked these!
These look delicious! And beautiful!
Thank you so much, Elena! They’re so yummy!
These look delicious! My husband would love if I made these for him!
Thanks, Sabrina! My fiance LOVES them too, and he’s a very picky meatless eater!
This is a great Meatless Monday dish!
Or any meatless day! Thanks, Ashley!
These look delicious! And I love how lentils and other grains can be made to “mimic” meat without a lot of extra effort. So tasty, and beautiful pictures, too!
Thanks, Dee Dee! Easy meals are my fav!
These look so good!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks, Kristina!
These look awesome! I’ve always wanted to try quinoa. Looks like a great place to start!
Quinoa is the best! You’ll love it, Felehsa! Thanks!
Those look really good! Our family of four consists of two vegetarians and two meat eaters. We usually go veg 6 days a week, and have a meat dish on the weekends, with lots of extra for leftovers. Quinoa is our favorite grain. Can’t wait to try these.
I love that meal schedule, Tarat! I’ve been trying to work more veg meals into the schedule but it’s hard when 50% of your household wants meat! I usually just end up making extra veggies for me to have during the week.
I made these today, and can’t really say much for their look since they ended up all mushy, (when I put them on the plate to serve, it looked more like a mash than balls). Any idea where I went wrong and what to do to improve for next time? Thanks
It was a tasty mash though. 🙂
Hi Nonny! I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out for you. The lentil balls are much more delicate than a regular meatball– they definitely don’t have the same heft that a meatball has, but we really enjoy the lighter texture.
After sautéing them, I put them in the fridge (made them for lunch at work), and then I ate them cold the following day. They were super yummy so you have nothing to be sorry about. 🙂
I actually used ground almonds instead of sunflower seeds (I didn’t have the latter).
Guess next time I’ll add more quinoa and almonds. Or just eat them cold at work. I do need lunches that can be eaten cold (I refuse to use a microwave) so thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Thank you for letting me know! How funny, my fiance loves to eat them cold too!
Do you think you can freeze these? Have you tried? Recommendation?
Hi Briget,
I haven’t tried freezing them yet. I’ll try freezing a few the next time I make them and I’ll update the post with my results! Sorry I couldn’t help more, good luck! Let me know if you try it =)
When you bake them in the oven, do you brush them with the reserved olive oil?
Hi Stacey,
This looks delicious, I will try them tonight! I was wondering where I could find the recipe of the pasta that goes with them?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Marie-Eve,
I didn’t make my own pasta, it’s just store bought linguini but homemade would be amazing! I hope you enjoy =)
These look delicious to my Italian eye!
I’m wondering if you ever froze them and what the results were?
Hi Deb!
I haven’t tried freezing the meatballs yet. If you do try it, please let me know what your results are! Merry Christmas!
Hi Candida, I’m so sorry the lentil balls weren’t firm enough for you. I did state in the post that they’re very delicate but they still hold together well enough to form into “meatballs.”
The next time I make them, I’ll try your suggestion of adding a flax egg. I’ll post an update of how it turns out! Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it! =)
I tried them and the taste was very good but I also had trouble making them into balls. We ended up just making a mash out of them.
Hello! I’m so sorry to hear that, I hope you enjoyed the mash =) I can’t seem to figure out why some people have trouble keeping the lentils balls shape. I’m going to play around with the recipe and see what’s going on. I’ll update the recipe soon, thank you for your comments!
Can I use canned lentils instead? If so, does a 15 oz can replace 1 cup of cooked lentils? Thank you in advanced! Will be making these tonight!
Hi Bia! I think that would be fine as long as the lentils are mashable. Let me know how it turns out, enjoy! =)
how can this be gluten free with breadcrumbs, or are you usuing gluten free bread?
Hi, Cat! Yes, I used gluten-free breadcrumbs. If you can’t find them at the store, you can definitely make your own.
Do you have the nutrition facts for these by any chance?
Hi, Tatiana! I’m sorry, I don’t have the nutrition facts for this recipe.
Hello!
I have cooked green lentils and quinoa in the fridge from another recipe. Could you give a ballpark of how much cooked lentils and quinoa your measurements would give? Generally, “ball” recipes are forgiving enough on the quantities.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Stephanie! The recipe calls for 3/4 cup of dry green lentils and 1/4 cup of dry quinoa. I would guess that roughly equals about 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils and 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa. Enjoy the “meatballs”!
I made these meatballs and they were AMAZING. I was hoping to double or triple the recipe the next time I make them, and just throw some in the freezer for later. Have you ever tried this? Do you have recommendations on how to reheat them from frozen?
Hi, Beth! I’m so happy you like the recipe! Thank you for letting me know! I never have enough leftover to freeze, my hubby gobbles them up, so I’m not 100% sure how they would turn out. However, I don’t see why they wouldn’t keep for a few months frozen and then reheated in the oven until warmed through. If you try it, let me know and I’ll update the recipe with your results! Thank you! =)
Is there a substitution for the breadcrumbs? I am currently going flour-free (all types of flour).
Thanks!
Hi Melanie! I haven’t tried making the meatballs without the bread crumbs but maybe rolled oats would make a good substitution? Let me know if you try it!
Hi Melanie!! I used chickpea crumb! Chickpeas are the ONLY ingredient, so no flour and added protein! WIN, WIN!! I’m sure there are other brands, but I use WHATUSEE FOODS…organic, made in the USA, and non-GMO! (: Hope this helps!
Hi Stacey, This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it out when my sister comes to visit this weekend. Have you ever tried the recipe with brown lentils rather than green lentils? Any idea if it will make a big difference in texture or flavor? The reason I ask is because I plan to use pre-cooked lentils to save time and I’m not sure that they’re available in the green variety. Thanks in advance for your response!
Hello! I haven’t tried brown lentils in this recipe but I think it would be fine. Brown lentils hold their shape pretty well just like green lentils. The only lentils I would say not to use would be red lentils because they would be way too mushy! I hope you have a great time with your sister!
Just bookmarked this so I can try it out, these look really good!
Julia // The Sunday Mode
Thank you, Julia! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi, we made this tonight and it was really tasty but I think I must have done something really wrong because it just turned into a paste in the food processor. Had to glob the mixture onto the baking tray, and it did firm up once it was baked, but it was really difficult to work with.
I was just wondering how you make it less of a wet mixture when you’re cooking the lentils and quinoa and they’re holding a fair bit of water?
Sorry if I sound like an absolute idiot 😂
Hi Emma!
There shouldn’t be a lot of liquid in the mixture–only the flax egg. Did you drain the lentils really well after cooking them? Both the quinoa and lentils should be cooked but dry before adding them to the food processor.
The only other thing I could think of that would affect the consistency would be if you accidentally over-blended the meatball mixture. I’ve done that before.
I hope you give it another try! Thank you for the feedback =)
oops sorry- dumb question: is the measured amount of quinoa and lentils the cooked or dry measure?
Not dumb at all, I need to update the recipe to make it clear. The ingredients listed are uncooked.
I read the comments and answered my own question above sorry! (about dry vs. cooked lentils & quinoa)
These looked so good I had to make them even with a lot of risky substitutions and no food processor! 🙂
They came out great! I used real garlic, almond flour in lieu of sunflower seeds, oats for bread crumbs. I parsed it out in smaller portions to fit my magic bullet (had to be quick with the mixing) and while it was messy, was delicious!
Thank you so much! a new fave.
Hello! I’m so sorry I missed your original comment but I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I’ll update the notes with your substitutions, I love that you used oats and almond flour– that will be so helpful because some people have had problems finding gluten-free breadcrumbs. Thank you so much for leaving feedback about the recipe, I appreciate it!
I messed the first batch up because the recipe called for uncooked lentils and uncooked quinoa! It would have been much clearer if the ingredients had called for cooked lentils and quinoa. I’m not that familiar with either so I had to guess which one you wanted: the uncooked in the ingredient list or the cooked in your instructions. 😂😂. I guessed wrong!
I’m so sorry! I just updated the recipe, I hope you’ll give it another try. You definitely have to cook the lentils and quinoa before adding them to the meatball mixture. Thank you for the feedback, I’m sorry for the confusion!
Do you think this would work without the quinoa? Don’t like it that much and trying to shorten prep time.
Hey Judit! I’m not sure, I haven’t tried it. Could you use something else, maybe rice? Do you have anything already cooked that you want to use up? If you try it let me know how it turns out without the quinoa.