One-Pan Spicy Meatballs With Lentils and Fennel Recipe (2024)

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iteachforshoes

Delicious weeknight meal. Subbed celery for fennel and pan seared the meatballs first to render out some of the fat. Also cut down to 1.5 c lentils and 3 c stock. Turned out perfect. Will make again!

anna

Really delicious! I'll definitely make this one again. Used a fairly small fennel bulb, and plan to add more next time. Carrots would be a great addition. Vinegar added a wonderful brightness. Don't skip it. Roughly chop the parsley before mixing into the dish - flavor of the whole leaves was a bit much.

Jessica

We loved this easy, flavorful dinner on a chilly evening. I imagine you could make it even easier by just roasting whole Italian sausages instead of making meatballs - though the crispy, juicy meatballs were really tasty. I doubled the fennel and wound up adding a bit more water as the lentils cooked. A keeper.

Tracey Lauer

Added carrots and French Beans to the fennel. Love this dish!

Drew

Be careful about putting cold chicken stock in a hot pan. I had a Pyrex explode on me after roasting the fennel and attempting to add the stock.

cccooks

Needs at least 4 cups of stock for two cups of lentils

Old Time Hockey

VERY IMPORTANT! Heat the chicken stock before adding to the casserole dish.I added room temp stock to a very good casserole dish after roasting the fennel and the dish cracked. Can’t believe this isn’t in the directions. Would some people know better? Sure, but not everyone.

Kristin

This was a great, easy dinner. Because I used green lentils, I simmered them in the stock with the herbs while I prepared and roasted the fennel and made the meatballs (about 15 mins total.) When the meatballs were done after 30 mins, the lentils were just right. I also added an onion cut into wedges with the fennel. Next time, I will add more onion and up the overall spices a bit. This was a winner with my family.

mike

Extremely tasty. Sliced the fennel, thin, 3 cups, low, sodium chick stock, add pepper flakes, and a Leppo if using mild sausage.

bigtazdude80

Make with non Italian sausage in the future, I don’t like the consistency (use ground meat).

Ronni

Veganized with beyond burger-type meatballs. Absolutely delicious.

dave

Add carrots?

Sam

I would absolutely not bother with the meatballs if I made this again, which I probably won’t. The lentils were quite good, but ultimately it’s just a pan full of too many lentils. (I used beluga lentils, which are all I had & are always delicious.) As for the meatballs: I’m not squeamish about squishing my hands in raw meat, but this felt positively disgusting. And for what? Labor-intensive, weirdly eggy, reshaped sausages? I should’ve just done as others advised & used intact sausage pieces.

mary

Fast and pretty good. Add butter and red onion and a bit of cumin brown extra meatballs on the side with a bit of spice and sesame oil

lisbeth

With dill insted of parsley you get an different weeknight dinner, a bit more eastern Europe.

sharon

Meh. I’m a good cook, the sound is great, very mediocre. Will never make again.

Michael S

Flavorful and excellent. I made it with kofte from my local Turkish butcher.

Rachel

I liked the flavors here but I'd change a few things. 1, meatballs did not hold together; I'd just use sliced sausages. 2, I'd add fennel later as it became overcooked and lost its crispiness. Agreed about using more fennel, too.

Cindy

Normally I make the recipe as written the first time but I had 4 chicken thighs to use. I browned the thighs, sausage, onion, garlic, and fennel in a large brasier then added the rest of ingredients and moved the pan to the oven on convection roast. I’m glad I got fennel in my csa this week; the rest I had on hand. Smells great!

Amelia

I'd say this is a solid recipe. We used 1 lb of sausage and 1/2 c lentils bc that's what we had. It worked well for 2 people. Honestly I can't imagine fully halving it to 1 cup. That would have been so many lentils. That said, I don't think I would purposefully make it again unless I had a surplus of lentils and hot Italian sausage hanging around. Good, but not memorable enough for me to go out of my way later.

karen

made with ground lamb recently -- add some additional spices: smoked paprika, fennel

Julie

So comforting and delicious! I used red lentils instead of brown, and used lemon instead of vinegar. The cooking took about ten minutes longer than I anticipated. The texture difference between the juicy sausage and the lentils was really enjoyable. I would happily make this over again, and plan to.

susan

Today added roasted cubed sweet potato to amplify the leftovers. Thought it a worthy addition. I’m a fan of everything in this before the sweet potato addition, which in my opinion was just the figurative icing on the cake, for this sweet potato aficionado anyway. I did add some additional chicken broth to loosen up the leftovers (by one day), the lentils do absorb the liquid. I love this recipe more than I thought I would, will definitely make again.

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One-Pan Spicy Meatballs With Lentils and Fennel Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make meatballs that don t fall apart in sauce? ›

You can do a few things while preparing the meatballs to ensure they don't fall apart once they go into the tomato sauce.
  1. Don't add too much moisture: ...
  2. Keep the meat as cold as possible: ...
  3. Don't overwork the meat: ...
  4. Add meatballs to a simmering sauce, and don't over-stir:
Mar 15, 2019

Why do you chill meatballs before cooking? ›

Chill your meatballs: refrigerating your meatballs an hour before cooking helps them hold their shape throughout the cooking process. They can chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking, making meatballs a great make-ahead dish, too.

What is the secret to making tender meatballs? ›

Egg and breadcrumbs are common mix-ins to add moisture and tenderness. Another binder option that people swear by is a panade, which is fresh or dry breadcrumbs that have been soaked in milk. “The soaked breadcrumbs help keep the proteins in the meat from shrinking,” as food writer Tara Holland explained in the Kitchn.

What can you use to keep meatballs from falling apart? ›

Whether it's breadcrumbs or egg (or both), or simply salt, binding the mince is a crucial step in maintaining the softness of your meatballs while preventing them from falling apart. Try soaking your breadcrumbs in milk for extra moisture and fluffiness.

Is it better to pan fry or oven bake meatballs? ›

Baking will result in meatballs with a crunchy exterior, though the caramelisation achieved from frying will be superior.

Should you bake meatballs before putting in sauce? ›

Yes. You can fry or bake the meatballs before letting them simmer in the tomato sauce.

Should you cook meatballs before putting in sauce? ›

Adding raw meatballs to the sauce and gently simmering till cooked yields ultra-tender results, and infuses the sauce with meaty flavor—a slow cooker gives great results.

What causes meatballs to fall apart in sauce? ›

But too much bread crumbs make them too loose, and not enough bread crumbs won't help them hold together either. Similar issues can be caused by eggs: Too many eggs, and the meatballs will be too soggy.

Do meatballs get more tender the longer they cook in sauce? ›

As the collagen in the meat dissolves over time, it transforms into gelatin, which not only adds a silky texture to the sauce but also contributes to the overall richness and depth of flavor. The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become.

Why are my meatballs falling apart in the pan? ›

Home Cook World notes that if your non-meat ingredients are too large, they will keep the ground meat from binding together, and your meatball will fall apart.

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