Ultimate Veggie Meatballs
Updated Jan. 24, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1medium zucchini, trimmed and coarsely grated (200 grams; about 1 packed cup)
- Fine sea salt and black pepper
- ¼cup couscous
- 3tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 3tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- ¾cup/100 grams cooked green or brown lentils (see Tip)
- ½cup/60 grams coarsely grated halloumi, plus more for serving
- 2large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed
- 3cups/450 grams good-quality tomato sauce (see Tip)
- 1pound linguine or spaghetti
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
604 calories; 24 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 79 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 599 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Mix the zucchini and ½ teaspoon of salt in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes. Transfer the zucchini to a clean kitchen towel and twist the towel to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Step 2
Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Step 3
Place the couscous in a large bowl and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of boiling water to moisten. (Too much liquid at this point will make the mix hard to shape.) Add the squeezed zucchini, plus the parsley, mint, lentils, halloumi, eggs, cumin and ½ teaspoon of salt; mix well using your hands. Shape the mixture into 12 balls. The mixture should be wet but still shapeable; it will firm up as it bakes. The shaped balls can rest in the fridge for up to a day before cooking if you’re preparing in advance.
- Step 4
Lightly oil the base of an 8-by-10-inch baking dish, then place the meatballs in the dish. Drizzle ½ cup oil over the balls and bake for 20 minutes, until lightly golden and firm to the touch. Use a spatula to carefully release the balls, then mix in the tomato sauce, coating each of the balls, and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Step 5
While the meatballs bake, bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for 8 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then strain the pasta and return to the pot. Add a drizzle of oil to the pasta to prevent it from sticking together, then keep it covered until the sauce is ready.
- Step 6
Once the meatballs come out of the oven, add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the sauce to loosen it back to a saucy consistency.
- Step 7
To serve, transfer the pasta to a large serving plate, pour over the sauce and meatballs, and finely grate more halloumi over the top. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, and add a good crack of black pepper.
- Purchasing cooked lentils is the easiest option, but if you’d like to cook your own, place ¼ cup of dried green or brown lentils in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or so, until just cooked through. Strain and rinse under hot water, then leave to air dry in the colander.
- To make your own tomato sauce, in a medium saucepan, gently fry 4 minced garlic cloves in ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 42 ounces crushed tomatoes and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened and lightly caramelized.
Private Notes
Comments
Why the hatred for halloumi? It's being used here as a firm cheese that won't separate as you cook it. I'm sure paneer would work but halloumi isn't a pungent goat cheese & isn't always made from goat milk... And anyway, as he says in the article, "put the constraints of the recipe to one side, with some creativity and a bit of trial and error, you will find that more goes than you would think. " So just leave it out I like to cook my beluga lentils in some veggie broth with a sprig of thyme.
Halloumi isn’t goat cheese. It’s a very firm sheep’s milk cheese that can stand up to being grated—as in this recipe—and hold its own in a mixture (instead of disappearing into mushiness).
Is there a substitute for halloumi?
I would not make these again. They were too watery to form into meatballs, even after adding bread crumbs. When they were done baking the ones that held together weren’t really balls—more domes with a flat bottom.
Third or fourth time making these. Still love them. I mixed basil, mint and parsley together for the herbs. I like halloumi. It's tasty. The mixture is very wet so you have to be patient and do your best to form it into balls. When it bakes they solidify. It's a clever, great recipe. One I'll keep making.
I really was baffled how great these were. My only sub was cooked jasmine rice in replacement of the couscous b/c we are gf. They were a sloppy wet mess when I put them on the (lined) baking sheet. Miraculously, they came out great….I guess all this is to say have faith, if you follow through they’re pretty incredible. My newly vegetarian five year old / harshest critic I know had seconds.
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