Teriyaki Meatballs

Meaty faux meatballs made with lentils and zucchini are sure to surprise you in this recipe. They are tossed in teriyaki sauce and served with cucumber and cauliflower rice. These are great for meal prep or a fun dinner.

I wanted to keep the ingredients for this recipe simple. The base of these “meatballs” is just lentils and zucchini. Lentils are just amazing and work so well as a meat replacement. They are full of nutrients, fiber and protein. The zucchini helps to add some texture and sneak a vegetable in there. The meatballs are on the plain side so they are great for whatever sauce you want to add to them.

Teriyaki sauce is very easy to find and usually vegan friendly. Of course always be sure to check the label. For this recipe I used the Soyaki from Trader Joe’s but there are plenty of options: Soy Vay Teriyaki, Whole Foods Teriyaki, Coconut Aminos Teriyaki (soy and gluten free), Primal Kitchen Teriyaki and so many more. It is also very easy to make your own teriyaki sauce and there plenty of recipes online.

These meatballs will go great with noodles, rice, salad – pretty much anything. I wanted to do cauliflower rice to make it a different spin on the recipe but feel free to use what you like. For the breadcrumbs use any breadcrumbs to fit your dietary needs. You may need more or less breadcrumbs than what is written in the recipe. So add them in at about ¼ cup increments.

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs
½ cup green lentils [90g]
1 large zucchini, shredded [270g]
2 cloves garlic
2 vegan “eggs”
*this can be an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill, Neat Egg, flax or chia egg
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp gochujang paste
1 ¼ cups breadcrumbs of choice [155g]

Teriyaki Sauce
¾ cup teriyaki sauce
2 green onions, chopped
3-4 Thai chilies or ¼ tsp red pepper flakes *will make this spicy
1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water *only if teriyaki sauce is thin

4 cups cauliflower rice [300g]
1 tbsp sesame oil [15ml]
1 cucumber, ribbons or sliced
Sesame seeds and green onion, for garnish

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 450F (232C).
2. Boil lentils for 20 minutes or until soft.
3. Using a food processor or grater shred the zucchini. Add zucchini into a bowl lined with a paper towel and squeeze out excess water. Zucchini has a lot of water so it is best to remove as much as you can.
4. In a food process or blender add the lentils, garlic, vegan “eggs”, teriyaki sauce, gochujang and ½ cup breadcrumbs. Pulse to break down the lentils and it should start to form into a wet mixture.
5. Add in the zucchini and another ¼ cup of the breadcrumbs. Pulse until well combined.
6. Add the “meatball” mixture into a bowl and add in the additional ½ cup breadcrumbs. Do this slowly as you may need to add more or less. The mixture should be able to form into a ball and hold it’s shape.
7. Scoop about 2 tbsp and roll it out into a ball. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all the balls have been made.
8. Spray with a bit of cooking oil spray if you like and bake for 25-30 minutes. They should be firm to the touch and have formed an outer crust when done.
9. To prepare the cauliflower rice add it into a large non-stick frypan with the sesame oil and bit of water. Cook for 5 minutes to soften the “rice”.
10. In a frypan add the teriyaki sauce, green onion, chilis and cornstarch slurry (if required). Warm everything up for 1 minute. If your teriyaki sauce is too thick skip the cornstarch and add 2-3 tbsp water.
11. When the meatballs are done toss in the sauce to coat.
12. Serve the bowls with the cauliflower rice, meatballs and cucumber. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

Makes 2 bowls
Approx 14 meatballs from this recipe

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