Middle Eastern Inspired Veggie Balls with Lambs Lettuce

Fresh & Naked

These Middle Eastern Inspired Veggie Balls are a delicious plant-based twist. Filled with rich chestnut mushrooms and brown rice, seasoned with a fragrant tahini sauce and coated in breadcrumbs, these won’t disappoint.

Served with a vibrant tomato sauce and paired with a Fresh & Naked Lambs Lettuce couscous salad, this meal is the perfect balance of warmth and freshness, bringing the flavours of the Middle East to you.

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Ingredients

For the ‘meatballs’:
150g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
250g porridge oats
300g cooked brown rice
100g cashews, ground
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sriracha or chilli sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
200g breadcrumbs for coating
A generous pinch of salt & pepper

For the tomato sauce:
400ml tomato passata
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp harissa paste
Salt & pepper to taste

For the couscous salad:
110g couscous
1 bag Fresh & Naked Lambs Lettuce
Juice of 1 lemon
A generous bunch of parsley, finely chopped
A small handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
A handful of pomegranate seeds
½ tsp turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

To make the couscous salad, add the couscous to a bowl with the ground turmeric and cover with 170ml of boiling water. Let it sit for 5 minutes then fluff it up using a fork.
Add the juice of a lemon, parsley, mint, pomegranate seeds, salt and pepper to the mix.
Add the mix to your base of Fresh & Naked Lambs Lettuce and mix well.
To make the ‘meatballs’, add the chopped onion, garlic and mushrooms to a pan with 1tbsp of olive oil, and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes.
Add in the cumin and coriander to your ‘meatball’ mix and cook for a further couples of minutes.
In a bowl, mix together your cooked rice, porridge oats, ground cashews, nutritional yeast, tahini, soy sauce, sriracha (or chilli sauce), cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to your ‘meatball’ mix.
Bind the mixture together into a ball shape. If the mixture feels too dry or crumbly, add a small amount of soy sauce or water to help the ‘meatballs’ form into a ball.
Pour breadcrumbs into a shallow dish and roll your ‘meatballs’ in it, ensuring they are coated evenly.
Place the coated ‘meatballs’ on to a prepared baking sheet and cook at 180 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes until the ‘meatballs’ start to crisp.
While your ‘meatballs’ are cooking, make the tomato sauce. Add crushed garlic to your pan and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the harissa paste and cook for another minute, before adding your tomato passata and add some salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer your sauce on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the flavours to meld and the sauce to slightly thicken.
Once your ‘meatballs’ are cooked, coat them in your tomato sauce, place on your bed of couscous salad and enjoy!