This was supposed to be today’s post:
The pie had other plans.
Easy as pie?
I really wanted to be mad when I opened the oven door, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Yesterday, was one of those days and I wasn’t surprised in the least. Why wouldn’t the pie explode?
Murphy’s Law – when you forget to put oven liners in a new oven, the sticky pie will erupt like a volcano! Luckily, it came off easily after the sugars cooled. I used the oven scraper tool like a champ. As for the pie dish, I think it will need to soak in acid for 6 years. No big deal.
Obviously, I had to Instagram this pie fail. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that other people love to laugh at fails on the internet. I know I do. Speaking of which, I clicked on the #piefail hashtag and laughed so hard I almost cried. Did you know pumpkin and apple pies can explode? I’m really happy to contribute to the collection. I’ll be checking in with it throughout pie season!
Anyway, tomorrow we leave on a much appreciated getaway and I really didn’t want to end on an epic pie fail, so I was up late last night and at it again all morning and afternoon until I nailed this lentil mushroom ball recipe. Who needs pie when you have this festive dish?
These lentil balls couldn’t be more festive. They are packed with green lentils, cremini mushrooms, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and kale! Oh MY.
Oh, and a tablespoon of sherry vinegar takes it over the top on the delicious scale. If you haven’t cooked with sherry vinegar before, I beg you to try some! It goes so well with anything mushroom. BFFs forever.
I thought a fresh cranberry + pear sauce would go nicely too. The light sweetness of the sauce is a lovely compliment to the earthiness of the lentil mushroom balls. If cranberry sauce isn’t your thing, I suggest pairing it with my mushroom gravy. I haven’t tried this pairing yet, but I suspect it would be a nice option! Now all we need is a little holiday music pumping from the speakers and some Home Alone on the TV…
Lentil Mushroom Walnut Balls with Cranberry-Pear Sauce
Yield
13-14 balls
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These lentil mushroom balls are festive, filling, and a great vegan protein option for your holiday feast! I paired it with a lightly sweet cranberry-pear sauce, but if you aren't a cranberry fan my vegan gravy would be a nice option too. You can most likely prepare the lentil balls in advance. Just shape the balls and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for no longer than 12-24 hours, bring to room temperature, and then bake as usual (of course, remove plastic wrap first). The cranberry sauce can be made a couple days in advance as well. I don't suggest skipping the sherry vinegar; it really makes this lentil mixture come to life and it pairs so well with the mushrooms. Lastly, it's important to (very) finely chop all the vegetables and walnuts so everything sticks together.
Ingredients
for the lentil balls:
- 1/2 cup uncooked green lentils
- 1 cup walnuts halves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 heaping cups finely chopped cremini mushrooms (one 8-oz package)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup finely chopped destemmed kale leaves
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/4 tsp dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons ground flax + 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats, ground into a coarse flour
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the cranberry sauce:
- 2 cups frozen or fresh cranberries
- 1 ripe pear, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- small pinch fine grain sea salt
Directions
- Add lentils into a medium pot along with 2 and 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for about 20 minutes, uncovered, adding more water if the lentils dry out. Once the lentils are fork tender, remove from heat and mash with a potato masher until it's a coarse paste with some lentil pieces still intact. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F. Toast the chopped walnuts for 9-12 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. After toasting, increase oven temp to 350°F.
- In a very large skillet or wok, add the oil along with the finely chopped mushrooms and garlic. Season with salt. Saute over medium-high heat for about 7-9 minutes, until most of the water cooks off. Now add the kale, toasted walnuts, cranberries, herbs, and sherry vinegar. Stir until combined and continue cooking for another few minutes until the kale is wilted. Remove from heat and stir in the mashed lentils when ready.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water. Stir for 10 seconds and then immediately pour into the skillet mixture. Stir to combine. Now stir in the 1/2 cup oat flour until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be fairly moist and sticky. If it's way too sticky, add a bit more oat flour. If it's dry, add another tbsp of water.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape lentil mixture into balls and pack tightly with your hands so they hold together. Place on baking sheet an inch or so apart. Repeat for the rest. If the mixture is too hot to handle, let it cool for a bit first and then proceed.
- Bake the lentil balls at 350°F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, gently flip over, and bake for another 11-13 minutes, until golden and firm on the exterior.
- For the sauce: Add the cranberries, pear, and maple syrup into a medium pot. Bring to a low boil over high heat and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-20 minutes until thickened. Use a potato masher to mash up the pear.
Tip:
- If your mixture seems dry (and this could be the case if the lentils are cooked too long), feel free to add a touch of water to moisten the mixture enough so it adheres.
- To make oat flour, add the rolled oats into a blender and blend on high until a flour forms. Alternatively, you can use 1/2 cup oat flour if you already have some on hand.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
I look forward to thawing the leftovers when I return. :)
I’ll see you next time from sunny Arizona! In the meantime, you can follow our adventures (and pie fails) on Instagram, as always.
Enjoy!
Thank you for the great Lentil Mushroom Walnut Balls Recipe. Had a vegan guest for dinner and went searching the net for a main dish. Really glad I found your site because I could have made a double batch to satisfy all the meat eaters at the table. Not that we were giving up on the lamb shanks, which were also delicious, but everyone really liked the vegan dish and even the non-cranberry people liked the Cranberry-Pear Sauce. Delicious! I’m planning to make the Lentil Mushroom Walnut Balls as an appetizer next time.
Im so glad it was enjoyed Suzanne! And yes 1 batch doesnt last long :)
I made these and they were awesome! I unexpectedly was out of flax so I subbed chia seeds instead and that worked fairly well.
I tried chopping the kale super finely, but I think next time I’ll give it a quick whirl in the food processor because I had some leaves sticking out. It didn’t affect the taste any, but the presentation looked a bit off.
As always, Oh She Glows gave me a perfect fail proof recipe that everyone loved. Can’t wait for my first shot at the lentil loaf for this Thanksgiving!!
This recipe looks yummy, but I actually don’t like mushrooms! Is there anything I could substitute? Thank you!
My husband and I both really liked these. They were so savory-tasted like stuffing. I added some shallots. I’m thinking I might shove it all in a loaf pan next time around. Great recipe, Angela. Thank you!!
Hi Angela,
I apologize if someone has already asked this question and I missed it. I want to make these to bring to a party but I know the host family “doesn’t do mushrooms” :-). How important are they and is there a substitute you can recommend if I can’t leave them out.
Thank you for all your amazing inspirations!
Victoria
Hi Victoria, I’m really not sure as I haven’t tried it without mushrooms yet. My advice would be to do a trial run! Let me know how it goes if you try it. You could try subbing in 3/4 cup shredded carrots if that is of interest. Goodluck!
is that the pumpkin pie recipe?? eeeek
hah no, I was attempting a pecan pie recipe.
Hi Angela,
Your recipes look amazing as always and I can’t wait for your cookbook to come out! My question is, is there any other way to cook the lentil walnut balls? Our oven is broken, though the stovetop still works (brown and cover to cook?), or a slowcooker or do you need a liquid for that to work? (you can tell how often I use it). I also have a dehydrator… many thanks.
Ahh…the mighty lentil…ate this dish tonight for supper…absolutely delish. Wasn’t thinking and I put all the balls into the oven to bake. I meant to bake only two of them…half way thru’ I thought …what have I done!!! So I pulled them out and will freeze them half baked…I’m thinking, it should be okay. Anyway…another home run.. Thanks so much Angela
Could I make this cranberry sauce raw? I was thinking of just cutting up the cranberries, mixing in the other things, (substituting blended dates for maple syrup) and putting it in the dehydrator for a while. Do you think that might turn out ok? Thanks, Angela.
Would any other nut work in place of the walnuts for those lentil balls?
I think pecans would be amazing too :)
I would love to make this into a loaf! Would I need to change anything other than cook time so that it’s neither over moist nor dry?
I loved the pictures on your website and especially of these balls! I’m also curious but where do you get those beautiful plates? :)
They are from Homesense I think :)
Oh. My. Goodness. These are absolutely delicious! I just made a batch to take as an appetizer to Thanksgiving tomorrow. I don’t know that they’ll ever make it in to the oven in the morning…I can’t stop eating the mixture! I think this would be great to bake as a lentil loaf instead of the little balls as well. As always, this recipe is another winner. You never ever disappoint! I can’t wait for your cookbook! (I’ve already pre-ordered my copy.) :-)
Made your Kale salad, Lentil mushroom balls and cranberry sauce for my Thanksgiving meal. It was dee-licious!! The non-vegetarians also loved it!
So happy to hear this Katrina! Thanks for trying it :)
I have the pumpkin pie with pecan crest made and tempting me – I have in the oven the lentil balls and cranberry sauce on the stove. I am also making your vegan gravy because we love love love that on everything! I think this is going to be another fantastic meal thanks to you :)
Happy Holidays!
I made these for thanksgiving today and everyone loved them, despite their *gasp* lack of meat! Thanks for another amazing recipe!!
I’m allergic to walnuts. I also have a sensitivity to cashews. What would you recommend as a substitute in the lentil mushroom walnut balls?
sunflower seeds :) but I’d only use 1/2-2/3 cup and roughly chop. enjoy!
I just made these for Thanksgiving this year and they turned out phenomenal. Thank you! I love you blog so much :)
Just made these and let me tell you they were amazing!
Thanks for letting me know Ashley! I’m so happy you enjoyed them :)
Angela,
Love your recipes! Made the walnut lentil balls for my Thanksgiving dinner. The flavor was amazing, but, they were a little dry. Kind of crumbly when cooked. Not sure what I did wrong. Will try again.
Just wanted to share my vegan thanksgiving victory that occurred the Friday after I made these delicious lentil balls and cranberry sauce. So many people rave about their leftover turkey sammies, well I took my two remaining lentil balls and made a sandwich on my favorite GF bread with cranberry sauce and mustard. Simply amazing.
Oh wow I love this idea :) Thanks so much for letting me know!
Ange, I have a mushroom lentil walnut burger. Too funny!! These sound so good; especially with the addition of kale!!!!
Do you think that this would also work without the dried cranberries? My husband dislikes any dried fruit.
Yes I think they would still work just fine :)
We made these for a dinner party and they were delicious! Had a hard time not eating all of them before we left the house. Couldn’t find any cranberries without sugar but I did find unsweetened cherries which turned out nice. We also opted out of the parchment paper and greased our sheet pan with coconut oil, they didn’t stick at all! I will double this recipe from now on because one batch isn’t enough.
I feel like I must thank you for making one of my favorite things, stuffing, actually guilt free! We’re going to make these veggie patty size so that I will never feel bad again about eating a stuffing and cranberry sauce sandwich.
Hi Justin, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I had to laugh about having a hard time not eating them all before leaving the house…we had the same issue! Totally agree with you on the double batch. Thanks for your feedback!
I made these last night for dinner! They were great! And super filling too! Thank you for the recipe!
Looks great! Thanks for the recipes. :)
Made The lentil mushroom balls And LOVED THEM!! Highly recommend them for parties as a replacement for meatballs.
Thanks so much!
I am half way through making this recipe and very excited that it might be my next Christmas hit. Last year I made your Glazed Apple Walnut Lentil loaf and everyone loved it. It is one of my favorite recipes. I have to reduce the walnuts to half a cup because I am not supposed to have very much fat. I hope that doesn’t make a big difference.
I am glad someone else has baking disasters – not just me!
Hey Bev, I hope you enjoy them! They are definitely our new favourite holiday staple around here.
We made these lentil mushroom walnut balls tonight and they are absolutely delicious!!!!! Even my 10, 12 & 14 year old girls loved them. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Awesome Dawn! So glad to hear this :)
Hi,
I’d like to make the recipe but I’d have a few questions to ask you.
Can I substitute the dry lentils for canned ones?
And if I bake the balls a few hours in advance will they dry out too much?
Thank you and keep up with your great recipes!
Hello,
Thanks for the great recipe. I plan on making this as my main protein dish for Christmas. I was wondering if you could take this same recipe and make a loaf instead of the balls. What temp/time would be best for a loaf version?
These are baking in the oven right now and I CAN’T WAIT! The uncooked mixture already tasted divine. I went vegetarian this year and it was nice to make and roll these with my mom. :) They’ll be a beautiful addition to our Christmas spread. Thank you, Angela! Hope you have a safe and happy holiday. xo
So glad to hear this Kayla! Merry Christmas to you!
Is it OK to substitute yellow or red lentils, which I have on hand?
Hey Karen, I only recommend green or brown lentils in this recipe. Red lentils break down too much and would impact the texture/moisture content. I haven’t tried yellow lentils before so I can’t comment on those. Hope this helps!
This is the only vegan holiday meal that I really feel like I hit a home run with. Thanks again for a delicious meal, Angela. My taste buds would be sad without you!!
I made these for my vegetarian in-laws for Christmas dinner and they were a big hit with the entire family. I know they loved being served a special dish and not just having to eat the side dishes. You certainly don’t need to be vegan to love these. Thanks for the great holiday recipe.
Hi Karen, I’m so happy to hear that! Merry Christmas :)
Thank you for this recipe. My husband made them for me for Christmas dinner and they were fantastic.
I’m new to your website but will be a regular guest. Thanks!! This recipe sounds and looks sooo good. Can’t find any cremini mushrooms so what do you suggest I substitute? Darn, can’t have any vinegar because of a yeast allergy. Don’t understand the connection but know I’m better after eliminating vinegar. I asked the guy at our health food store if Sherry Vinegar has yeast, or is fermented and he thought so. I think I’d try this recipe without the vinegar – or another substitute?? :-).
Hi Laura, You can substitute regular white mushrooms for the cremini if you’d like. I haven’t tried it, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. As for a vinegar sub, I’m not sure of one. Maybe a very small amount of fresh lemon juice (start with 1/2 tbsp and go from there as you taste the mix). Enjoy!
I made these for my family Christmas dinner, they were so good! They even impressed a couple of the meat loving guests at the table! I’m new to the vegetarian lifestyle, and trying to transition to a vegan one and your recipes are helping me out a lot!
I made these tonight – in fact, all of them (lentil balls, kale salad, sweet potatoes) and they were a huge hit! Thanks. One thing I will say is that I thought the amount of lentils is a misprint. 1/2 c seemed very small, so I did a full cup, and they turned out perfect. Are you sure you meant to write 1/2 C? Happy New Year!
Hi Amy, Glad you enjoyed them! And no, 1/2 cup was not a misprint. I’m glad it worked out with a cup too though! Enjoy the rest :)
I intend to make this but where to you find Sherry vinegar? I’m in the east GTA and have been to a couple of my local supermarkets and neither of them carry it. Is there something else you think I can replace it with or should I just skip the vinegar?
Hey Corey, I think I bought it at Whole Foods. You can also find it online! I haven’t tried other vinegars yet, but I would probably try red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar (add slowly to taste). good luck and let me know how it goes!
Yeah, I figured it was probably a Whole Foods item (and sadly none around here). Used red wine vinegar instead and also made it a raspberry pear sause (since I forgot to buy cranberries). Prep time took longer than expected but I enjoyed them and even my fairly picky husband and 4 year old girl gobbled them up.
Hi Angela,
I’m planning on making these for a belated family Christmas dinner. Just wondering if you could recommend some recipes that would be good side dishes.
Thank you so much!!
Made these tonight – delicious! Have to say it was 2-1/2 hours from start to putting in the oven, and I used my food processor. Not sure how it could be done in 35 minutes. Worth the effort though. I’ve used the garlic pear sauce in other recipes and I’ve been meaning to make these.
Can we please get nutrition information on all recipes?! It was really helpful when you did that in the past! Thanks!!
Last time I made these, before I added the flax eggs and oat flour I though to myself that this would be a great base for pasta sauce. SO, today I cooked up the recipe, omitting the flax, flour, and kale (only because I forgot to buy some, I would definitely include it next time) and adding about 1 1/2 cups of tomato passata (not sauce). I had it over whole wheat penne and WOW. There’s a touch of sweetness from the cranberries, which I love, and a nice chunky texture. Thank you again, Angela. :) Your avocado pasta is another favourite of mine!
I made these tonite and they had lovely flavor, texture, and the cranberry sauce is such a nice addition. I am going to take the remaining few lentil balls and put them in a pita with some tomato sauce to see what a nice sub I get! My husband eats alot of lentils so finding new ways to have them is fun. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for the recipe! I made small lentil mushroom walnut pies with pastry-dough – they were delicious!
Just made these for dinner and they were a hit. Perfectly hearty for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
Bless you and your cotton socks. You rock girlfriend. Loving your recipes and your book!
These we’re amazing! I made them tonight and served them with mashed potatoes and steamed veg! So good!
I made these just now and they are fantastic. It felt decadent, just sitting there on a normal Sunday eating this festive meal. YUM! In Germany, we seldomly have fresh cranberries, so I made the sauce with raspberries. Think I might make these for my parents for Christmas as a side dish… (meat will be had, sorry! ;-))