These vegan lentil meatballs are a Turkish classic. Made with red lentils and bulgur, these meatballs are usually served with lettuce and herbs.
Turkish recipes are very versatile and use fresh and healthy ingredients. Many Turkish recipes such as Turkish yogurt soup, gozleme, borek, and zucchini fritters are naturally vegetarian. These red lentil meatballs are another delicious Turkish recipe that happens to be naturally vegan. They are quick to make and absolutely tasty!
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What is mercimek koftesi?
Mercimek köftesi, also known as vegan lentil meatballs, is a common Turkish dish that's a staple in many Turkish households. These are considered a cold mezze dish which can be served alongside other appetizers such as labneh, hummus, muhammara and baba ganoush. They are served cold and they're perfect for a tasty appetizer or even a quick lunch.
What's interesting is that these vegan meatballs are not commonly served at restaurants so unless you've had a nice Turkish neighbor or friend, chances are that you've never tried these tasty treats until now.
Why this recipe works
- Perfect choice for vegans and vegetarians: These lentil balls are a great vegan option when you're hosting a party and know you're going to have vegetarian or vegan friends over. Packed with red lentils and bulgur and flavored with herbs and spices, this healthy lentil recipe will become a staple in your home.
- Easy meal-prep: Turkish lentil meatballs also make a good light lunch for days in which you want a quick pick-me-up. If you're looking for an easy vegetarian meal that comes together in no time and is packed with nutrients, then these will be your go-to, especially because you can easily make them ahead of time and enjoy them through the week.
- Good for you: Lentils are a good source of protein and are easy to cook and work with. Red lentils are a bit different from green or brown lentils (like the ones we use to make mujadara) because they lose their shape when cooked and become very soft. Other recipes using red lentils include Turkish red lentil soup and Turmeric ginger red lentil soup.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
- Red lentils - You can find red lentils at any supermarket. They are more delicate than green lentils and will turn yellow and mushy once cooked.
- Bulgur - Bulgur can be coarse or fine. For recipes such as bulgur pilaf we use coarse bulgur. However, for this recipe we are going to use fine bulgur. Check out The Spruce Eats to read more about bulgur wheat and its use.
- Olive oil - Like many other Mediterranean recipes, olive oil is an important part of this recipe. In addition to its health benefits, olive oil enhances flavor.
- Onion and garlic - Sautéed onion and garlic are combined with cooked bulgur and red lentils.
- Tomato paste - The dense color of tomato paste gives the nice orange color to the lentil balls and also adds delicious flavor without the juiciness of the tomatoes.
- Parsley and green onions - Both are common staples of Turkish cuisine and used in almost every savory recipe. They add freshness and flavor to the vegan meatballs. Don't discard the parsley stems - they're full of flavor!
- Spices - You need salt, pepper, cumin and pul biber which is similar to Aleppo pepper.
Instructions
Cook the lentils and bulgur
Cook the lentils with water until all the water is absorbed and the lentils are mushy. Turn the heat off, add the bulgur to the lentils and mix. Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes. The bulgur will cook with the steam and moisture coming from the lentils.
Prepare onion and garlic
Sauté the onion and garlic in some olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the tomato paste for color and flavor.
Mix and shape
Add the onion mixture to the lentil and bulgur mixture. Mix well using a spoon or a spatula. To the lentil mixture, add the spices, olive oil, chopped parsley and green onions.
Take a piece of the mixture the size of a large walnut and shape it into a long cylinder and place it on a platter with some lettuce leaves. Cool in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
Serving suggestions
This is a simple lentil meatball recipe that's best when served cold. As I mentioned above, mercimek koftesi can be a part of a mezze platter alongside dips such as spicy hummus and muhammara. These vegan lentil meatballs are usually served with lettuce leaves and parsley with a squeeze of fresh lemon for more flavor. You can also turn it into a complete vegetarian meal with a side of sauteed spinach or Turkish style leeks.
However, if you're interested in vegan Mediterranean wraps like falafel sandwich, you can make a sandwich or a wrap with these Turkish lentil balls, parsley, lettuce and some tahini sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! It's best to make these vegan lentil meatballs and refrigerate them for a few hours before serving. However, they stay so well in the fridge so you can even make them a couple of days in advance. Squeeze some fresh lemon on them right before serving and make sure to use fresh lettuce leaves for serving.
These are supposed to be served cold therefore I don't suggest you bake them. Baking them may also cause them to be super dry since there is no egg or binder in the recipe.
They do! Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the lentil balls on the baking sheet. Freeze for about one hour until they're hard and then put them in a plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Once ready to eat, thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Notes and tips
- This recipe yields 25-30 lentil balls and is enough for 5-6 people. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Red lentils get very soft when they're cooked and will lose their shape. It's important to make sure the lentils don't have too much excess water since you want the vegan meatball mixture be sticky enough so you can shape it into balls.
- Make sure you purchase fine bulgur and not coarse bulgur. The finer the bulgur, the smoother the meatball mixture is going to be. Coarse bulgur will make the mixture crumbly and hard to shape.
- Aleppo pepper is not hot and is used to add depth and flavor to this recipe. If you would like the vegan meatballs to be spicy, you can add ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the mixture.
- If the mixture is not sticky enough, add more olive oil to it, one tablespoon at a time.
Did you make this recipe? I'd love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
Step-by-Step Recipe
Turkish Vegan Lentil Balls (Mercimek Köftesi)
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 ½ cup fine bulgur
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups fresh parsley chopped
- 1 cup green onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- In a sauce pan cook the lentils with 3 cups of water until they have absorbed the water and are cooked.
- Turn the heat off, add in the bulgur and cover with the lid. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan and saute onion and garlic until golden. Add in tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Turn the heat off.
- Place the red lentil and bulgur mixture in a large bowl. Add in the onion mixture and mix.
- Add in the parsley, green onions, cumin, salt, pepper and Aleppo pepper.
- Add in the olive oil and mix well.
- Start shaping the vegan lentil meatballs into long cylinders and place them on a platter.
- Chill for an hour in the fridge and serve with fresh lemon and lettuce.
Video
Notes
- This recipe yields 25-30 lentil balls and is enough for 5-6 people. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Red lentils get very soft when they're cooked and will lose their shape. It's important to make sure the lentils don't have too much excess water since you want the vegan meatball mixture be sticky enough so you can shape it into balls.
- Make sure you purchase fine bulgur and not coarse bulgur. The finer the bulgur, the smoother the meatball mixture is going to be. Coarse bulgur will make the mixture crumbly and hard to shape.
- Aleppo pepper is not hot and is used to add depth and flavor to this recipe. If you would like the vegan meatballs to be spicy, you can add ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the mixture.
- If the mixture is not sticky enough, add more olive oil to it, one tablespoon at a time.
Linda S.
The recipe turned out perfectly! I was a little shy on the parsley, but still excellent. My one comment is that I wish the website had one of those features where you could hear the pronunciation of the name, because you just know someone will ask. You might also consider adding it to the video. I have a few left to freeze so I can see what that's like. And lastly we are not vegetarians but this recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Linda, thank you for your comment and glad you enjoyed the recipe! We are working on adding more features to the site. For now, here is how to pronounce mercimek koftesi: mer-ji-mek kof-te-si There is a video in the recipe card 🙂
Hilary
Delicious! Really easy to put together & were very tasty. Thank you for the recipe!