Veg-Nourish · ERRERLabs Open in the app

Lentil Meatballs in Cream Gravy

The Swedish plate: small tender meatballs, a pale allspice-scented gravy, and lingonberry — with brown lentils and mushrooms standing in and doing it well.

B
35 min active 55 min total serves 5 vegetarian kids eat it

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Brown lentils (dry), cooked and cooled
  • 3 cups Cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1 Yellow onion, finely diced
  • ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 Eggs (large)
  • ¾ tsp Ground allspice
  • ¼ tsp Ground nutmeg
  • 1 ¼ tsp Kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp Canola oil
  • 3 tbsp Unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp All-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ cups Low-sodium vegetable broth
  • ½ cup Light sour cream
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, for mashing
  • 1 cup Fresh cranberries
  • 3 tbsp Granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped

🍽 Fork in the road — for the omnivores

Half beef, half pork

The traditional mix, with the same allspice and nutmeg. Brown them the same way; the gravy is unchanged.

Method

  1. Cook the mushrooms and onion in 1 tablespoon oil over high heat for 10 minutes until the pan is completely dry and everything is browned. Any moisture left here becomes a meatball that falls apart.
  2. Pulse the lentils, mushroom mixture, panko, egg, allspice, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor to a coarse, tacky mixture. Chill 15 minutes.
  3. Roll into 24 small balls. Brown them in the remaining oil over medium heat, turning carefully, about 8 minutes. Move them to a plate.
  4. Gravy: melt the butter in the same pan, whisk in the flour and cook 2 minutes to a blond roux. Add the broth in three additions, whisking smooth each time. Simmer 5 minutes until it coats a spoon.
  5. Off the heat, whisk in the sour cream, mustard and the remaining salt. Return the meatballs and warm through — do not boil once the sour cream is in.
  6. Simmer the cranberries with the sugar and 2 tablespoons water for 8 minutes for a quick lingonberry stand-in. Serve everything over mashed potatoes with parsley.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch
Allspice and nutmeg are what make these read as Swedish rather than Italian. A quarter teaspoon of nutmeg is enough to notice and not enough to name.
🧒 For the kids
Meatballs, gravy and mash is a shape most children already trust. Serve the cranberry on the side rather than over the top.
🥡 Leftovers
Keeps 4 days. Meatballs freeze cooked for 3 months; make the gravy fresh.

Per serving

550Calories
19gProtein
10gFiber
7gSaturated fat
461mgSodium
1521mgPotassium

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.