Mushroom and Lentil Meatballs
These mushroom and lentil meatballs are honestly one of the recipes we're most proud of. They've got this incredible savoury depth from the mushrooms, a proper hearty bite from the lentils, and the walnuts bring this rich, nutty flavour that makes them feel really satisfying. We've made these for friends who weren't even trying to eat less meat and they were absolutely blown away. Trust us, once you nail these, they're going straight into your regular rotation.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Large baking tray lined with parchment
- Food processor
- Large ovenproof frying pan
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 250g chestnut mushrooms
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 50g walnuts
- 1 400g tin of - black beluga lentils
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon
- 10g fresh parsley
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 5g basil
- 50g plant-based mozzarella
- 20g plant-based parmesan
- 5g basil leaves
Method
Prep the ingredients
- Place the walnuts in a food processor and blend to a crumb, set aside
- Add the onion and mushrooms to the food processor and pulse until roughly chopped but not completely broken down
- Peel and mince the garlic
- Pick and finely chop the thyme and rosemary
- Pick and finely chop the parsley
- Zest the lemon
- Pick the basil leaves, reserving the stalks
Cook the base
- Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat with the olive oil
- Add the mushroom onion mix with a pinch of salt and cook until soft and caramelised and any liquid has evaporated
- Stir in the garlic, tomato puree, thyme and rosemary frying for 2 minutes
- Pour in the red wine vinegar and soy sauce, cooking to evaporate the liquid
- Transfer the meatball mix to a large bowl and stir in the walnuts, lentils, lemon zest, nutritional yeast, parsley and flour
- Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix to combine, adding a bit more flour if too wet
- Roll into 12 balls, the size of a heaped tablespoon and place on the lined baking tray
- Transfer to the oven for 15 minutes until crispy and browned
Make the tomato sauce
- While the meatballs are baking, wipe out the pan and return to a medium heat
- Add the olive oil and garlic and chilli flakes, flying for 1 minute until fragrant
- Add the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar, then pour in the chopped tomatoes
- Add the basil stalks to infuse and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered until reduced by a quarter
- Remove the basil stalks and taste to season with salt and pepper
- Nestle the meatballs in the pan, mixing to coat in the sauce
- Sprinkle over the cheese and place in the oven for 15 minutes until everything is warmed through, the cheese has melted and lightly browned
- Scatter over the basil leaves to serve
Tips & Variations
- Make them smaller: We find making them on the slightly smaller side helps them hold their shape better in the oven and you get a better ratio of crispy outside to soft middle.
- Use the right lentils: Green or brown lentils work best here. Red lentils go too soft and the mixture won't hold together properly, so don't be tempted to swap them in.
- Rest before saucing: Give the meatballs a few minutes out of the oven before you add them to your tomato sauce. It helps them firm up a little and they're much less likely to fall apart.
Why This Works
The trick here is blending the walnuts to a crumb first and then pulsing the mushrooms separately so you keep a bit of texture throughout. That combination is what gives you a meatball that actually holds together and has something to bite into rather than turning into a mush. The fresh herbs and lemon zest at the end lift everything and make the whole thing sing.