Hello everyone, hope you are all doing well. This has been a very busy week for me but at the moment I am enjoying the weekend a lot. In fact, today I have been around the kitchen cooking (what’s new :)) and me and my husband really enjoyed this healthy recipe so I thought it was worth it to share it with you. This is a vegan and vegetarian delicious recipe which requires basic healthy ingredients and it is very simple to make. This vegan meatballs are made with barley, lentils, carrots, leek, tomato, celery and delicious spices, I decided to accompany it with a homemade tomato ketchup sauce. These delicious vegan meatballs are cooked in the oven and not fried so it is definitely a must try.
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Serves: 4 People
To make this delicious recipe you will need:
120 gr of dried pearl barley
400 gr of lentils (I used a can of lentils in water)
2 medium size carrots
1/3 of a leek
1 stalk of celery
50 gr of peeled plum tomatoes
2 Bay leaves
Paprika
Black pepper
Oregano
Olive oil
Salt
For the tomato sauce:
350 of peeled plum tomato
1 clove of garlic
Oregano
A splash of balsamic vinegar
A pinch of sugar
Salt
1 teaspoon of olive oil
The preparation:
First of all, put the barley on a bowl with cold water to rest for about 40 minutes, this process will soften and help it cook faster.
Cut the leek and the celery into very small pieces, then grate the carrots (as shown in the picture) and place them in a deep sauce pan. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt and then turn the heat to medium low to cook the vegetables. Make sure to stir them as they cook.
When the vegetables are soft and cooked, add the barley, the lentils, the tomatoes, the paprika, black pepper, oregano, the bay leaves and after that add water just to cover the surface of the ingredients, turn the heat to medium-high to cook everything together. Add the water as soon as you notice it evaporates. I added the water three times.
Tip: The reason I added water to just cover the surface is to avoid having that boiled taste in the end of the vegetables, instead I treated it more like a risotto this way all the ingredients flavour will blend very well together.
Please let evaporate as much water as you can,this way the vegan meat-less balls will have a better definite shape.
When you are happy with the taste and the consistency of the ingredients, turn the heat off and let them cool for at least 10 min. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 8/450F/230C, then with a blender blend about 60% of the mixture and using your hands, shape the vegan meatballs (don’t worry if they feel a bit sticky they will assume the specific form as they get cooked in the oven.) I put approximately 8 meatballs (size of an egg) on the tray and cook for about 35-40 minutes or until slighty brown. After cooked leave to cool for about 15 minutes before consuming.
For the sauce, all you need to do is put the tomatoes, the garlic, oregano, black pepper, paprika, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and olive oil on a bowl, then blend everything until smooth. After that, on a sauce pan add the sauce and 1/2 glass of water and cook on high heat until it starts thickening. And that’s it!
I really hope you will like this very interesting and absolutely delicious recipe which is a different version of the classic lentil meatloaf. You can recreate it for a party as an appetizer ( I am sure no one will miss the meat in eating them), or they are perfect for a yummy pack lunch with some salad.
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[…] Vegan Meatballs – Lentils and Barley. […]
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look delicious and I love the ingredients!
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Thank you so much DailyMusings, for always being so kind and the nice comments. I love this recipe a lot as the results were genuinely delicious, the vegan meatballs are indeed very delicious! Please do give them a go!
Best wishes,
Alice
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What a creative way to use barley and lentils. Everything looks delicious.
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Awww thank you very much for the loveliest words. I think the use of barley and lentils in the kitchen can be a bit repetitive, this is a nice twist and you can make people who doesn’t like it very much actually eat it.
Best wishes,
Alice
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I’m looking for more vegan recipes so I’m so happy you posted these meatballs. I especially can’t wait to try making the tomato sauce!
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Thank you so much for the very nice words, I am so happy you find this recipe interesting. Please do give it a go, I am sure you will love the results! I promise! 🙂
Best wishes,
Alice
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Mmmmm. These look sooooo good!
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Thank you very much shanaart for the very nice comment! Please do give it a go! I would love to hear the results from you!
Best wishes,
Alice
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Looks amazing! 🙂
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Thank you so much The master Of Cook for the very nice comment! I am delighted you like the recipe and would love to hear the results from you! Please do give it a go!
Best wishes,
Alice
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Yummy! It can be a lovely starter in my party!
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Yeahh, I think your guests will love it! Please do let me know how it goes if you decide to make them! 🙂
Best wishes,
Alice
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Sure Alice, will get back once i try it out in my kitchen.
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Great “meatballs”! I love the use of lentils here.
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
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OMG YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! I’m a vegetarian.
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I am soooo happy you like this recipe, if you are a vegetarian (or not) then this is the right recipe for you. Me and my husband loved the results. The lentils blend perfectly well with barley and the the other vegetables and spices. Please please do give it a go, you will like it very much.
Best wishes,
Alice
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These sound delicious! 🙂
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Thank you so much Jewels for the very nice words, please do give them a go. You will love the results!
Best wishes,
Alice
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I´m not at all following vegetarian/vegan diets, but these”meat”balls look and sound wonderfully delicious! A great way to use lentils which I adore!
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Hello sabine thank you for the very nice words. I am not a vegetarian/vegan either but I love to try different diets and recipes which have simple ingredients and delicious flavours. This is a recipe I often cook as I love lentils and barley and think they work really well with each other.
Hope you have a nice weekend,
Alice
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Dear Alice, as I said, I love your recipe very much, always on a quest for something new, delicious, and doable to broaden my food horizons! So thank you for sharing this!
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Aww you are very kind sabine. Thank you very much for the lovely words, you made my day!xxx
🙂
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These look fab! I love using lentils as a sub for meat in bolognese etc. it’s such a filling alternative.
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Wow I have never thought about adding lentils in the bolognese, it looks like a worderful idea. Thank you for the lovely words Abida, I am really happy you like my recipe.
Best wishes,
Alice
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Mmmm these look great too!!!! Well done 🙂
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Aww thank you so much for the very nice comment. I am happy you like the recipe!
Best wishes,
Alice
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They look fab! Can’t wait to try them. I’m always looking for great vegan recipes. Thank you! Chrissy 🙂 x
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Thanks to you for the lovely words Chrissy, I am so happy you like the recipe. I find this recipe very easy, healthy and perfect for every type of diet. Please do give it a go I am sure you will like the results.
Best wishes,
Alice
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I love meatballs in all sorts of forms — beef, chicken, vegetarian, etc. And these look SO good! I would love them served over some spaghetti squash. Healthy AND delicious!
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Thank you Amy for the lovely words, I completely agree with you, meatballs are delicious in all sort of forms. I need to try them with the spaghetti squash, thanks for the tip.
Best wishes
Alice
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I’m so glad I’ve found your blog! Thanks to UKbloggers 🙂 I love it and I can’t wait to try this recipe, it seems delicious.
Evelyn
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Thank you so much for the lovely words, I will definitely go and check your blog, too.
Best wishes,
Alice
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Love these photos and recipes! Thanks!
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Thank you so much for the nice words and stopping by! Xxx
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I made your vegan balls & your lovely tasty simple tomato sauce & served it with spelt pasta,…so delicious too! Very Yum yum! 😊
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Wow really? I am soooo happy you did like the results. Thank you so much for trying the recipe lovely Sophie33. 😄
Best wishes,
Alice
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Thanks, Alice! x
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This sounds fabulous! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Aww thanks to you M E Cheshier for the lovely words and reblogging my recipe.
Best wishes,
Alice
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Hi Alice
You are very welcome
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Reblogged this on Travels with Mary and commented:
This sounds wonderful!
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Wow! I am going to try this out as I am vegetarian 😀 Thanks for such an innovative recipe 🙂
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Aww thank you so much lovely Amrita Shenoy for the lovely words, I am very happy you like this recipe, please do give it a go. I am sure you will love the results as much as I do.
Best wishes,
Alice
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You are lovely too 🙂
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Pinning! I am a vegetarian and love this idea. Have never attempted veggie meatballs but will def try now – thanks for the recipe 😉
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Aww thank you so much thehungrymum for the nice words. This is one of those recipes which is perfect even for the non vegetarian because it is very tasty and you won’t miss the meat. Please do give it a go, I would love to hear the results from you.
Best wishes,
Alice
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I’ve never tried making vegan meatballs before, but I’ve meant to for a while! Now I have no excuse — these look insanely good!
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Thank you so much Sharon for the nice words, please do give them a go. I am sure you will love the results, as much as I do.
Best wishes,
Alice
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I’ve never tried to make vegan meatballs, but I’ve meant to for a while! I have no excuse now not to try — yours look insanely good!
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Thank you for sharing this vegan meatlessmeatball recipe! Need to try it sometime 🙂
Have a lovely day!
x
http://www.KatrineM.com
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Aww thank you katrinem for the lovely words, hope you will like the recipe if you try it.
Best wishes,
Alice
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