Lentil Mushroom Meatless Meatballs
Zero psychedelia, tons of flavor
The Green Spoon•May 27, 2025
Okay, hear us out. Mushrooms make for great meatballs and a terrific weeknight vegetarian spin on spaghetti and meatballs. A handful of easy ingredients get blitzed, rolled into balls, fried, sauced and bada-bing! They’re delicious ladled over a bowl of noodles—especially our new favorite line of dried protein-rich pasta: Brami Pasta made with wheat and lupini beans—but they’re fantastic with an herby, garlicky yogurt sauce, too. (And great in a school lunch without any sauce! Fanny’s daughter eats them unadorned and, for reasons unknown, calls them “cookies”). The texture is more custardy than chewy and bends toward falafel in all the right ways.
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We’re Fanny and Greta, dear friends with deep backgrounds in sustainable food. This is a space for the food lovers, home cooks, would-be home cooks and anyone who needs a bit of inspiration and gentle guidance in their family kitchen.
Instructions
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a glug of olive oil and the mushrooms (16 oz) to the pan. Sweat them until they begin to break down and evaporate some of their moisture. After about 8 minutes add half the onions and half the garlic and stir.
Meanwhile, get your tomato sauce going: heat another skillet over medium heat and add the other half of the onions, (optional) butter (1 Tbsp), and a glug of olive oil. Sweat them until soft and translucent, careful to not let them burn or brown excessively, about 15 minutes.
To the mushrooms, add the pitted olives (¼ cup), walnuts (1 cup), fennel seeds (1 tsp), and smoked paprika (1 tsp). Stir to incorporate and cook for a few minutes.
Add the tomato paste (2 Tbsp) and soy sauce (1 Tbsp) to deglaze the mushroom pan and stir for a minute or two. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
When—in your other pan—your onions are translucent and soft, add the other half of the minced garlic and stir until fragrant, then add whole tomatoes (1 can), a big pinch of sea salt and cook on medium heat, stirring periodically.
Meanwhile, empty the mushroom-walnut mixture into a food processor, add the cooked lentils (1 cup), the egg (1) (if using), and the marjoram/oregano (2 tsp) and pulse to blend roughly. It should be well-mixed but retain texture.
Empty into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs (1 cup) and chopped parsley (1 Tbsp) (if using). You should have a tacky dough that sticks together.
Roll individual meatballs about 1-inch–1 ½–inch in diameter and place on a plate or tray. You should have between 30–35 in total.
To cook them, add a small glug of olive oil to a medium-hot pan and let them brown on all sides, rotating them carefully with a pair of tongs.
When the red sauce is ready (taste it and adjust seasonings if necessary), add the browned meatballs to the pan and allow to simmer for five or so minutes, carefully tossing the meatballs in the sauce to coat and absorb sauce.
Ladle sauce and meatballs over cooked noodles of your choice—we’ve been LOVING the high protein lupini bean-wheat noodles from Brami of late.
Shower with Parmesan and torn basil (1 handful), if desired and serve with pasta.
Notes
Storage
Freeze uncooked meatballs on a tray and when firm, transfer to a freezer bag. To use, defrost at room temperature and pan-fry as above.
