Author Notes
I love meatballs of all kinds, and these are one my favorites. They are really healthy, but you wouldn't know it when you eat them. It's perfect for summer when I don't want to have the stove on a long time and heat up the kitchen. The lemon pesto is great on all sorts of other things as well, and I like it as a dipping sauce for veggies in summer. A nice hit of citrus really brightens up the meatballs too. —Meatballs&Milkshakes
Ingredients
- Lentil and Chickpea Meatballs
-
2 cups
cooked lentils, any variety but I like French lentils
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1 cup
drained and rinsed chickpeas (I use canned because they are easy)
-
2
eggs
-
1/2 cup
goat cheese (or ricotta for substitution)
-
1/2 cup
grated parmesan
-
1
lemon, juiced
-
1
garlic clove
-
1 tablespoon
aleppo pepper (or substitute 1/2 cayenne)
-
2 tablespoons
chopped basil
-
2/3 cup
Panko breadcrumbs
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1 tablespoon
extra virgin olive oil
-
1
lemon, for garnish
- Lemon Pesto
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3 cups
basil
-
2 tablespoons
pine nuts (or substitute walnuts or hazelnuts)
-
1/2 cup
grated parmesan
-
1
lemon, juiced
-
4 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Lentil and Chickpea Meatballs
-
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it creates a paste. Form into 1-inch round balls. If the paste is too sticky, refrigerate for an hour before rolling into balls.
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Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until they start to brown on top. Squeeze a whole lemon over them before serving.
- Lemon Pesto
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Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until combined. Spoon over the meatballs or use as a dip on the side.
I'm an ex-finance, nonprofit fundraiser by day and a (mostly) Italian cook and blogger by night. I love having friends over for dinner and my favorite evenings are when we spend them at home together cooking dinner and chatting. I'm an avid cooking show fan, and my favorite eating cities are New York, San Francisco, Paris, and Rome.
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