This post could be considered late. I actually had these meatballs in mind for holiday parties (but that didn't happen) and then I thought for sure I'd get this recipe up before the Super Bowl (turns out, it's February already.) So instead, I'm sharing these with you today but that's okay because I eat these all the time (no matter the occasion.)
I have a weakness for all things buffalo and bbq sauce related. These meatballs completely hit the spot when I'm craving something a bit more in the realm of comfort food. Pile these guys on a hoagie with a drizzle of ranch dressing; you've got yourself a meal.
I love Sara's recipe but I tweaked a couple of the proportions to make these meatballs just a bit more crisp while still soaking up the BBQ sauce. The blue cheese isn't overpowering and plays nicely with the tang of the BBQ sauce (some things are just meant to be together.) Of course, if BBQ sauce isn't your thing, you can try your hand at buffalo lentil "meat"balls instead!
PrintBBQ Blue Cheese Lentil Meatballs
- Yield: 2-3 (9-10 meatballs) 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked black lentils, slightly mashed
- ½ cup bread crumbs*
- ¼ cup ricotta
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup blue cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼-⅓ cup bbq sauce (store bought or try your hand at homemade)
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine all the ingredients for the lentils (through oregano). Stir until well combine. Let rest for 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 400˚.
- Measure out roughly an ice cream scoop worth of lentil mix and roll into a ball. Place on a tray covered with parchment paper or large roasting dish lightly oiled.
- Bake meatballs for 15 minutes, flip, and bake for another 15-20 minutes until crisp and firm.
- While meatballs finish up, heat bbq sauce in a small sauce-pan. Brush meatballs with warm bbq sauce and serve (either by itself or on a hoagie!)
Notes
*I hardly ever buy breadcrumbs. Simply toast a piece of bread until crisp then pulse in a food processor until crumbly.
Katie @ Whole Nourishment says
Yum, these look delicious and I'm not even usually drawn to BBQ sauce! Can't wait to try them...I'm thinking they'd also go great paired with a cauliflower mac & cheese!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh my goodness, these look and sound just incredible - little umami bombs! Can't wait to give these a try. Thank you for sharing!
Dishing Up The Dirt says
these sound fantastic Erin!
Eileen says
Hooray, meatballs! I bet these would be great with any number of cheeses, too. Maybe a sharp feta? Delicious!
Maria Tadic says
This looks like such an awesome recipe! I'm definitely making these...very soon! Yum!
Ginnie says
Mmm ... these looks so good! Can't wait to try the recipe:)
Joanne (eats well with others) says
These plus swiss or gruyere on a sub? My ideal sandwich.
Coral says
I made these last night and they were amazing. I served them with chopped spinach over black quinoa. Thank you so much for your amazing recipes! I'm a vegetarian and my boyfriend is not - you make it so easy to please everyone! Keep on keeping on!
ana @ eatsandshoots says
That looks amazing! I love your recipes and the way you see food! You're such an inspiration!
Darla says
I just made these. OH MY GOSH! They are so delicious. I wanted to lick the plate! Okay, okay...so I did lick the plate. I was alone. Nobody saw it.
Yum-Monster says
These sounded so good and I just happened to have some blue cheese that needed to be used up.... I did not however have ricotta cheese but I otherwise followed this recipe to the T. For whatever reason they were crumbly and didn't keep their shape very well.
I pared this with collard greens, sweet potato wedges and corn bread. Thanks
★★★★★
erin says
Unfortunately the ricotta is pretty integral to the integrity of the meatball and why yours didn't keep their shape.
H says
My omnivore husband is OBSESSED with these! They are so delicious, thanks for the recipe!!
★★★★★
Amanda Phily says
Can these be made ahead and frozen, or formed into balls and refrigerated a day before baking? I love these and am planning ahead for the holidays? Thanks!
erin says
Hi Amanda, SO sorry- for some reason this comment went to spam and I feel like it might be too late to respond (but I'm going to do it anyway!) I've never tried but I think you might have better luck with freezing then refrigerating. My only concern would be that they would dry out/soak up for liquid, then you would want. If you ended up trying- I'd love to know!
Marissa says
These look amazing, but I am not a fan at all of blue cheese. Any suggestions of cheese substitutions that will work well with this dish? Pretty much like every other cheese 🙂
erin says
Feta maybe? Something with a nice flavor!
bri says
how did you cook your lentils? I cooked them perfectly once but then tried again and they took way too long and turned out soupy. share your wisdom 😛 lol
Stacey Morris says
These look AMAZING. Going to try. What a great website you have.
Kelly says
I make these all the time, and they are always a hit. It's high time I left a review for them! Love, love, love!
★★★★★
Nick Wenger says
I am hosting a meatball cook-off party and thinking about making these. Only issue is that the theme this year is foreign recipes; so I think I am going to try this with La Puy Lentils, add pureed walnuts to the balls, use Roquefort cheese, and instead of the paprika, add espellete pepper for a french lentil ball. Not sure if I want the BBQ sauce, a buffalo sauce seems to pair better based on other tests with blue cheese.
Carly says
Can I use brown lentils instead of black?
Erin Alderson says
Yes.