Description
These Saucy Beef and Lentil Meatballs combine hearty ground beef with nutritious lentils, simmered in a flavorful spiced tomato and coconut milk sauce. Perfectly browned meatballs absorb the rich, aromatic sauce, making a comforting and protein-packed meal. Ideal served with rice or Israeli couscous and garnished with fresh cilantro.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3/4 cup cooked lentils*
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 egg
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
For the Sauce
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 15-ounce can coconut milk (light or full-fat)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (may substitute arrowroot starch)
Instructions
- Prepare the Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine ground beef, cooked lentils, finely diced onion, egg, minced garlic, ground cumin, dried ginger, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Use your hands to mix everything thoroughly until well incorporated.
- Form and Brown Meatballs: Shape the mixture into 20 meatballs, each about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons in size, and place them on a plate. Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado or olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook them until browned on one side, about 5-6 minutes.
- Prepare the Sauce Mixture: While the meatballs brown, mix together the tomato sauce, coconut milk, ground cumin, dried ginger, chili powder, salt, and black pepper in a separate bowl.
- Brown the Other Side and Add Sauce: Gently turn the meatballs to brown the other side. Then, pour the prepared sauce mixture over the meatballs in the pan.
- Simmer the Meatballs in Sauce: Reduce the heat to low or medium-low to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cover the pan and let the meatballs cook in the sauce for 15 minutes, allowing flavors to meld and meatballs to cook through.
- Thicken the Sauce: Remove the pan lid. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of the hot liquid from the pan, stirring until a thick slurry forms. Stir this slurry back into the pan sauce. Allow the sauce to return to a low simmer and thicken, then remove from heat. The sauce will thicken further as it cools slightly.
- Serve: Serve the saucy meatballs warm with Israeli couscous or rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
Notes
- Use canned cooked lentils, a microwaveable pouch of lentils, or cook dry lentils as described below.
- To cook dry lentils: Add 1/4 cup dry lentils to a saucepan half-filled with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils reach desired tenderness. Drain and refrigerate up to 5 days. This yields approximately 3/4 cup cooked lentils needed for the recipe. For more cooked lentils, start with 1/2 cup dry lentils.
- You may use full-fat or light coconut milk according to your preference. Nutrition information below is based on light coconut milk.
