These Vegetarian Meatballs Got All the Umami You Want (And None of the Guilt)
In Today's Cappuccino, Veggie Meatballs AND an Extra Cool Surprise
I have exciting news to share: You can now read Cappuccino in the new Substack app for iPhone.
With the app, you’ll have a dedicated Inbox for my Substack and any others you subscribe to. New posts will never get lost in your email filters, or stuck in spam. Longer posts will never cut-off by your email app. Comments and rich media will all work seamlessly. Overall, it’s a big upgrade to the reading experience.
The Substack app is currently available for iOS. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can join the Android waitlist here. I’ve already downloaded it, I already use it, and I am stoked about having a Substack app.
Now for those vegetarian meatballs.
It’s been a minute since I made these meatless meatballs. When I did make them regularly, even my kids gobbled them up, and if you know my kids, you’ll immediately understand what a ringing endorsement that is of the recipe.
Somehow my kids managed to achieve impressive heights (my daughter is 5’6”, my son is 6’1”) subsisting mostly on a diet of fries and chicken nuggets. There was a graveyard of dead fries in the footwells of my SUV. I’ll never forget the nice man at the car wash asking me if any of the fries actually made it into my children’s mouths.
Be that as it may, they loved these vegetarian meatballs, not only for the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside mouth-feel, but because they are savory and meaty in the way of real meatballs. I’m not sure they even knew the difference.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried lentils (or 2 1/2 cups cooked)
2 small or one large onion, chopped
1/3 cup quality olive oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz Cremini mushrooms, stems removed
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
3 tsp Italian seasoning
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp cayenne
1/3 tsp garlic powder
Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, cook your dried lentils, being sure to cover them with about four extra inches of water and a pot lid. Bring lentils to a boil before reducing the heat and simmering, uncovered, for 20 minutes until they are tender but not mushy. Drain excess water and set aside.
Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until they are the size of small peas.
In a large pan set over medium-high heat, pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and pulsed mushrooms. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until the moisture has burned off and the garlic releases its scent.
Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the contents back into the food processor, adding the lentils. Pulse until combined, about 20 pulses, being sure to scrape down the sides about halfway through.
In a large bowl, combine mushroom/lentil mixture with Panko bread crumbs, 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, cayenne, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, eggs, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Adjust your seasonings, being careful not to oversalt. Remember: you can always add more, but you can’t add less.
Roll the mixture into 2-tablespoon-sized balls and arrange them on a baking sheet. Lightly brush or spray the meatballs with olive oil or a cooking spray.
Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes, flipping them at the 15 minute mark.
You’re done! Feel free to eat these as appetizers (sprinkled with a little chopped parsley, perhaps) or pair them with a zesty tomato sauce and a plate of pasta. Italians don’t really do pasta and meatballs. It’s more of an American thing. But there’s no reason in the world you can’t have fun with these and see how many people you can gull into believing they’re made with real beef.
Buon appetito!
Do you have a favorite meatless meatball recipe? If so, I want to hear all about it. Leave your comments below.
Ooooo, they sound tasty, and look nice and moist. Would I go to hell if I added some concentrated beef or chicken bouillon to the mix? I'd try them first, without it, of course. Not trying to insult a perfectly good recipe. Really. Honestly.
Actually I'm sort of goofing on all those people who write inane stuff in recipe comment replies. Sometimes with questions like:
Can I substitute margarine for butter?
Can I use soy milk instead of almond milk?
Can I use fertilized eggs instead of 'regular' eggs?
OK, that last one's a stretch, but I've seen some real winners that make me scratch my head. They often want to make so many change ups that it'd be nowhere near the original recipe!
Do what you damn well please, use common sense or Google, or just experiment once in a while! Wow...glad I got *that* rant off my chest.