Mouthwatering vegan meatballs filled with protein, iron and veggies. These are so versatile and perfect for pasta, sandwiches, as an appetizer or alone!
Saute mushrooms, kale, onion and garlic in a drizzle of oil or veggie broth until soft and no liquid remains. Set aside to cool.
Once cooled a bit, add them to a food processor and pulse a few times to get them chopped into small pieces. If you chopped them pretty finely before, you can simply add them to the processor and move to the next step.
Put lentils, oats, almond flour, sunflower seeds, oregano, smoked paprika, salt and pepper in the food processor and pulse until crumbly. Be careful not to overdo it. You can also skip the processor all together and just use your hands to mash them up and have a chunkier texture.
Allow mixture to set about 5-10 minutes so the oats can soak in some liquid (you can also do this after you shape into balls as well). I use this time to clean up a bit
Shape into 2-inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 25 minutes, flip and bake 10 more minutes, or until they are browned on top.
Allow to cool so the texture settles and serve with almost anything!
Notes
This recipe makes about 16 balls, serving size is 4 meatballs.
You may need a little bit more oats if your mixture ends up too wet, which can happen depending on how much liquid is in the veggies you saute. You want most of it to evaporate.
If there is a nut allergy, you can sub more oats for the almond meal.
You can also use spinach or swiss chard in place of the kale.
To freeze for the best result, I half bake them, then freeze wrapped in parchment paper, then foil then put them in an airtight container. Once ready to eat, I defrost to room temperature then bake them the rest of the way. You could also freeze raw but you may have to reshape them a bit once they defrost.