• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Search
  • The Casual Zine
  • Instagram
  • Component Cooking
  • Explore an Ingredient
  • Stock a Pantry

Naturally Ella logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Search
  • The Casual Zine
  • Instagram
  • Component Cooking
  • Explore an Ingredient
  • Stock a Pantry
×

Home > Blog

02.4.14 Appetizers

BBQ Blue Cheese Lentil "Meat"balls

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
BBQ Blue Cheese Lentil Meatballs
BBQ Blue Cheese Lentil Meatballs

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!

Print

BBQ Blue Cheese Lentil Meatballs

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Erin Alderson
  • Yield: 2-3 (9-10 meatballs) 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 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

  1. 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˚.
  2. 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.
  3. Bake meatballs for 15 minutes, flip, and bake for another 15-20 minutes until crisp and firm.
  4. 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.

*Meatball recipe slightly adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @naturallyella on Instagram and hashtag it #naturallyella

 

More recipes you may enjoy

  • Roasted Sweet Potato Rice Paper Rolls with Spinach
  • Shaved Brussels Sprout Potstickers
  • Roasted Carrot Summer Rolls with Cabbage
  • Pear Chutney Cheese Toast

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Katie @ Whole Nourishment says

    February 05, 2014 at 8:08 am

    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!

    Reply
  2. Alanna Taylor-Tobin says

    February 05, 2014 at 9:17 am

    Oh my goodness, these look and sound just incredible - little umami bombs! Can't wait to give these a try. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Dishing Up The Dirt says

    February 05, 2014 at 9:26 am

    these sound fantastic Erin!

    Reply
  4. Eileen says

    February 05, 2014 at 10:30 am

    Hooray, meatballs! I bet these would be great with any number of cheeses, too. Maybe a sharp feta? Delicious!

    Reply
  5. Maria Tadic says

    February 05, 2014 at 12:45 pm

    This looks like such an awesome recipe! I'm definitely making these...very soon! Yum!

    Reply
  6. Ginnie says

    February 05, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    Mmm ... these looks so good! Can't wait to try the recipe:)

    Reply
  7. Joanne (eats well with others) says

    February 05, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    These plus swiss or gruyere on a sub? My ideal sandwich.

    Reply
  8. Coral says

    March 05, 2014 at 9:29 am

    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!

    Reply
  9. ana @ eatsandshoots says

    March 13, 2014 at 12:40 pm

    That looks amazing! I love your recipes and the way you see food! You're such an inspiration!

    Reply
  10. Darla says

    March 24, 2014 at 3:18 pm

    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.

    Reply
  11. Yum-Monster says

    September 02, 2014 at 11:29 pm

    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

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • erin says

      September 03, 2014 at 4:42 am

      Unfortunately the ricotta is pretty integral to the integrity of the meatball and why yours didn't keep their shape.

      Reply
  12. H says

    September 12, 2014 at 6:50 am

    My omnivore husband is OBSESSED with these! They are so delicious, thanks for the recipe!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  13. Amanda Phily says

    December 15, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • erin says

      December 22, 2014 at 7:57 am

      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!

      Reply
  14. Marissa says

    April 13, 2015 at 10:28 am

    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 🙂

    Reply
    • erin says

      June 06, 2015 at 2:17 pm

      Feta maybe? Something with a nice flavor!

      Reply
  15. bri says

    October 27, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    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

    Reply
  16. Stacey Morris says

    April 04, 2016 at 11:37 am

    These look AMAZING. Going to try. What a great website you have.

    Reply
  17. Kelly says

    April 30, 2016 at 2:37 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  18. Nick Wenger says

    December 08, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    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.

    Reply
  19. Carly says

    January 31, 2018 at 9:23 am

    Can I use brown lentils instead of black?

    Reply
    • Erin Alderson says

      January 31, 2018 at 10:22 am

      Yes.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

I'm Erin and this is my space for all things vegetarian food inspired by California and my love of cooking.


Get the latest issue of Casual.

Winter recipes

  • Roasted Chipotle Sweet Potato and Sorghum Salad
  • Adobo Acorn Squash, Crispy Quinoa, and Chimichurri
  • Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Einkorn and Soy-Mustard Dressing
  • Sesame Brussels Sprout Soba Bowl

Subscribe for biweekly newsletters, new recipe emails, or a weekly recap of all new content.

subscribe

Popular recipes

  • Baked Cabbage and White Beans
  • Pasta and Chickpeas (Pasta e Ceci)
  • Spicy White Bean Stew with Arugula
  • Kabocha Ricotta Pancakes

Footer

↑ back to top

Resources

  • All Recipes
  • Component Cooking
  • Stock a Pantry
  • Produce Guides

Contact

  • Contact
  • Media Kit
  • Privacy Policy