Mushroom Lentil Swedish Meat(less) Balls

Meatballs are traditionally made with meat, obviously.  I love a good meatball and when I make them I use grass-fed organic beef.  My husband’s favorite way to eat meatballs is the Swedish way, with a cream sauce instead of marinara.  I gotta say, I agree.  I created a meatless version so that I could enjoy meatballs more often, while sticking to a diet that consists of about 90% plants. The winner are my Mushroom Lentil Meat(less) Balls.

Making completely vegan meatballs is a bit of a challenge. Egg is typically used to help bind the ingredients together.  I went the chia egg method on this recipe and it worked well.  If you want to make these babies vegetarian, use egg instead.  I love pasture-raised chicken eggs on occasion.

Serve these Mushroom Lentil Swedish Meat(less) Balls as is, over pasta, or over vegetables to kick up the plant intake even more.  Zoodles anyone?  You can even make a meatball sub with these.  You won’t miss the meat! I promise!

Why lentils?

Nutritionally speaking, each half cup serving of lentils provides 181 micrograms of folate. This is compared to only 8 micrograms found in ground beef. Lentils are also higher in thiamine, which provides 11 percent of the DV per serving. That’s compared to 2 percent in each serving of ground beef.  Lentils also provide more of some minerals per serving than ground beef.  A half cup of lentils yields about 3.3 milligrams of iron, 36 milligrams of magnesium, and 369 milligrams of potassium.  Ground beef provides slightly less of these minerals.  Additionally, lentils provide your body with some fibers versus meat, which has none.

Grass-fed organic meats can provide added benefits compared to standard meat. I am not sure how realistic, though, it is for everyone to source it or to afford it regularly.  Including more meatless meals may not only be good for your health, but also your pocket book.  Not to mention good for your taste buds!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Author Sara

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked lentils brown or green
• 1- 8 oz package mushrooms I used cremini
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and diced
• 1/2-1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp chia ground (I ground whole ones in a blender)
• 1/3 cup milk of choice I used almond
• salt and pepper to taste
• For the gravy:
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp flour I used spelt
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a saute pan heat the coconut oil and add the onion and garlic, saute until translucent (about 5 min).
3. Add the 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, allspice, worcestershire, chia, milk, salt and pepper.
4. Mix until combined.
5. Turn off heat and set aside to cool slightly. Let the chia thicken the milk.
6. In a food processor add the cooked lentils and mushrooms, pulse until finely chopped.
7. In a large bowl add the mushroom mixture and the onion mixture.
8. Mix with your hands to combined.
9. Add more breadcrumbs if mixture is still sticky.
10. Roll the mixture into balls about 1-2 inches or about 2 tbsp worth.
11. Place on a lined sheet pan.
12. Makes about 18 meatballs.
13. Bake in the oven about 15-20 minutes until firm. They will firm up slightly when cooling.
14. While the meatballs are baking make the gravy.
15. In the same saucepan, melt the coconut oil and flour to form a paste. Cook for a couple minutes.
16. Whisk in the broth until smooth and starting to thicken.
17. Add the rest of the gravy ingredients and cook until it coats the back of a spoon.
18. Serve the gravy over the meatballs.

Recipe Notes

*choose organic ingredients when possible.