Vegan Lentil Meatball Stroganoff
Homemade, pan-seared lentil meatballs tossed in a vegan sour-cream-and-mushroom sauce and served over wide fusilli pasta.
Leaves are falling, temperatures are dropping, and there’s just something about this time of year that puts me in the mood for classic comfort food like this delicious stroganoff.
Vegan Lentil Meatball Stroganoff Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
- Dried green lentils – they don’t get as mushy as red or brown lentils so they are better able to hold the meatball shape
- Ground flaxseed
- Cremini mushrooms
- Shallot, finely diced
- Garlic
- Bread crumbs
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Dried oregano
- Olive oil
For the sauce:
- Vegan butter
- Cremini mushrooms
- Garlic
- All-purpose flour
- Vegan beef broth – Better Than Bouillon makes an excellent No-Beef Base
- Dry white wine – I used Pinot Grigio
- Creamy Dijon mustard
- Vegan sour cream – I like the flavor and consistency of Tofutti
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Ground nutmeg
- Fusilli pasta – or other pasta with a fluted edge or hollow center for catching the sauce
- Italian flat-leaf parsley – curly would work as well
How to make Vegan Lentil Meatball Stroganoff:
For the meatballs:
Into a medium-sized pot, add dried lentils and 1½ cups water.
Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to low heat. Simmer for approximately 25 minutes or until lentils are softened and cooked through.
Into a small bowl, add flaxseed and 3 tablespoons water.
Set aside to thicken while the lentils are cooking.
Into a food processor, add cooked green lentils, flaxseed mixture, cremini mushrooms, shallot, garlic, bread crumbs, salt, black pepper, and dried oregano.
Blend on high speed until all ingredients are well combined.
Roll mixture into 2-inch balls. You will have approximately 20 lentil meatballs.
Into a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add lentil meatballs, and cook, turning frequently, until browned evenly all around.
For the sauce:
Into a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons vegan butter.
When butter is melted, add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes.
Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
To the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegan butter.
Once butter is melted, quickly whisk in all-purpose flour. Whisk in vegan beef broth and dry white wine.
Bring to a boil for 1 minute, and remove from heat.
Stir in Dijon, sour cream, salt, black pepper, and ground nutmeg.
Add mushroom mixture back into the pan and gently stir to combine with sauce.
For the pasta:
Prepare pasta according to package directions.
Before draining, reserve ½ cup of the still-hot water.
Gradually stir in reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time to thin sauce to desired consistency.
To serve:
Toss sauce with prepared pasta and top with lentil meatballs.
Garnish with Italian flat-leaf parsley and serve warm.
Cheers!
More comfort food classics:
Vegan Chili Mac Casserole – Easy weeknight dinner and always a crowd-pleaser.
Vegan Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy – You’re going to want to lick the plate! Seriously. Serve with mashed potatoes and peas for the full old school effect.
Creamy Vegan Mac & Cheese – The ultimate comfort food classic!
Vegan Lentil Meatball Stroganoff
Ingredients
- For the meatballs:
- ½ cup dried green lentils
- 1 - 2/3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms stems removed
- ¼ cup shallot finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2/3 cup bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup olive oil
- For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 8- ounce package cremini mushrooms stems removed, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegan beef broth
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon creamy Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup vegan sour cream
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ pound fusilli pasta cooked according to package directions
- ½ cup reserved pasta-cooking water
- ¼ cup Italian flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- For the meatballs, into a medium-sized pot, add dried lentils and 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to low heat. Simmer for approximately 25 minutes or until lentils are softened and cooked through.
- Into a small bowl, add flaxseed and 3 tablespoons water. Set aside to thicken while the lentils are cooking.
- Into a food processor, add cooked green lentils, flaxseed mixture, cremini mushrooms, shallot, garlic, bread crumbs, salt, black pepper, and dried oregano. Blend on high speed until all ingredients are well combined. Roll mixture into 2-inch balls. You will have approximately 20 lentil meatballs.
- Into a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add lentil meatballs, and cook, turning frequently, until browned evenly all around.
- For the sauce, into a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons vegan butter. When butter is melted, add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- To the same skillet over medium-high heat, add remaining 2 tablespoons vegan butter. Once butter is melted, quickly whisk in all-purpose flour. Whisk in vegan beef broth and dry white wine. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, and remove from heat.
- Stir in Dijon, sour cream, salt, black pepper, and ground nutmeg. Add mushroom mixture back into the pan and gently stir to combine with sauce.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. Before draining, reserve ½ cup of the still-hot water. Gradually stir in reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time to thin sauce to desired consistency.
- To serve: Toss sauce with prepared pasta and top with lentil meatballs. Garnish with Italian flat leaf parsley and serve warm.
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