These lentil quinoa vegan meatballs with kale and walnuts will have you eagerly anticipating dinner! Simple to make, these gluten free, vegan, low fat meatballs are packed with flavor and texture, move over traditional meatball recipe, this meatless meal is stealing the show!
Meatballs, a dish I always missed once I declared my vegetarianism at 13 years old. I was eating my weight in pasta and pizza, but those beloved beauties were no more. Eventually I discovered meatless burgers that I would chop up into my spaghetti sauce. Oh the days of my carbatarian lifestyle. Thank goodness I got a grip on all of that over the years. It always kills me when I meet a vegan or vegetarian and all they do is eat the junk food parts of the diet and proclaim they really don’t like vegetables. I secretly want to slap their faces, is that wrong of me? Hopefully you are not one of those people.
I shared yesterday my list of favorite superfoods for fat loss, have you downloaded it yet? On that list was my beloved lentils (included in the mixed beans category). I don’t know about you but in this house lentils = cheap delicious protein and fiber. I eat lentils at least once a week. My Back to Basics Nutrition program will set you up to start eating more of those superfoods everyday. I will teach you how to build your plate for fat loss.
This recipe is a very good example of a dish I would recommend to my clients in this program. The dish is packed with protein and fiber and is served on yellow squash zoodles or spaghetti squash with homemade marinara. Lots of veggies, lots of foods from the superfood list and something tasty and satisfying that you will definitely want to make again! That last part is really key for me.
I know my clients will be successful in their fat loss goals because I am going to set them up for success every step of the way. I still have some openings to my Back to Basics Nutrition program, if you are interested in learning more please check out the details or simply leave a comment below letting me know you are interested! If you sign up before the new year starts, I’m offering a Kick Starter Pack valued at over $200 for free! It includes a free additional week and an extra in-person (or on skype/facetime) consultation with me! I’ve had some great responses to this program so far and I’m confident it will sell out, so if you are interested, be sure to sign up now to reserve your spot!
Ok, back to these vegan meatballs. I found myself craving meatballs after days of eating recipes I was testing for the holidays. Cookies for lunch is only fun one or two days in a row. Trust me! I didn’t want to make anything super fancy, didn’t feel like doing yet another batch of dishes so this meal was the perfect solution. I just cook the quinoa and the red lentils together. Add the coconut flour and the chia seeds to the pot the quinoa and lentils cooked in and stirred everything up. I added kale because I was really craving something green, and walnuts to give it some fun texture and contrast. I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper (no washing required) and viola one dish to wash and I had dinner ready! I already had some marinara on hand but you can easily follow the recipe for my 7 Minute Marinara, it’s super simple and ready in no time. Serve this over some yellow squash zoodles (just like zucchini noodles but with yellow summer squash instead of zucchini) or spaghetti squash. Ever make zoodles before? I love my spiralizer (affiliate link) and use it all year long for dishes like this!
Need a healthy dinner? These lentil quinoa vegan meatballs are simple and healthy! #vegan @pancakewarrior_ Click To Tweet
Did you know you can make spaghetti squash in the microwave? Gasp, don’t shoot me! Dave has been dealing with some uber fun stomach issues and the diet he’s on requires there to be a constant supply of squash on hand. I can only roast so many squash in a week, so the microwave has become my last minute meal saver. Just pierce the spaghetti sqiash with a sharp knife in two places (like you would a baked potato). Place it in the microwave for 4 minutes on high. Allow the squash to slightly cool then slice it in half (longways). Scoop out the seeds and place it back in the microwave in a large glass bowl. Cook for an additional 10 minutes on high and you have spaghetti squash!
- 1 cup red lentils, dry
- ½ cup quinoa, dry
- 3 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tbs. chia seeds
- 2 tbs. coconut flour (I used Trader Joe's)
- 2 tbs. chopped walnuts
- 2 large handfuls of chopped kale
- In a large pan, add quinoa and lentils. Cover with water and let sit at least 2 minutes. Drain the water in a collander. Rinse the quinoa and lentils one more time with water then add them back to the pot.
- Add the 2 cups of water to the quinoa and lentils. Add the bay leaf and salt to the lentils and boil over medium heat for about 15 minutes until the water has been absorbed.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Once the water has been absorbed, remove from heat.
- Remove the bay leaf, add the garlic powder, coconut flour, chia seeds, chopped walnuts and chopped kale. Stir well and let sit at least 5 minutes to give the kale time to wilt and the chia time to work their magic.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with non-stick spray (I use coconut oil). Make uniform size meatballs. I like to use a tablespoon to scoop them, so they are all about the same size.
- Add the meatballs to the parchment paper and then bake at 400F for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve over marinara and spaghetti squash or yellow squash zoodles.
What about you?
- What have you been craving after all that holiday food?
- What is your favorite way to eat those superfoods?
- Do you eat a meatless meal during the week?
YUM! I pinned these for later, they look amazing!
Yum! I’ve never made meatballs with lentils (I’ve never made a good batch of lentils!), so I’m going to have to try these babies!
Oh yum! I need to make this Sam. Kale, walnuts, chia seeds and lentils. What a great combo! I’m so pinned this one for later.
Red lentils!!! My heart <3 These lequmey balls looks delish!! A plant-based staple 🙂
you and i both became veggies at the early age of 13! how cool! (except i am a pescetarian rather than vegetarian, but close enough!) Such a smart idea to re-create your beloved meat balls to a veggie version. I miss bacon haha, unfortunately the soy bacon just doesn’t do it for me
Wow, you’ve been a vegetarian since you were 13?! So cool!!
The first thing I craved after a week of indulging was a big bowl of LEAVES hahaha. But seriously, Ray and I have salads lined up this week for lunch. YUM 🙂
You know I love this right 🙂 Looks like a recipe that would be on my weekly menu plan.
Happy almost 2016 friend!
These look amazing! I’m pinning the recipe for later thanks 🙂
I love this idea! Vegan meatballs with quinoa and lentils?? Delicious!
This recipe looks sooo yummy and super healthy. I’m definitely trying this one soon! Thanks for sharing!
Mmm. Just missing the chia seeds and I have all of the ingredients on hand. This will make a great Lenten meal for us too. Thanks for sharing on the Creative K. Kids Tasty Tuesdays Linky Party. We hope you will join us next week.
Vegan meatballs – I never tried them. Looks fabulous! Pinning!
Yum! I just found these on the A Round Tuit link up and they look amazing!
LOVE this recipe! Can’t wait to try! Pinned and sharing.
Happy New Year! 🙂
These sound so good – pinned to share and try some day soon.