Vegetarian “Meatball” Sub

Last updated on February 23, 2019 by Liza Hawkins

This vegetarian “meatball” sub is a nice meatless alternative to the classic!

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My sister is a unique type of vegetarian. Before she made the switch years ago she enjoyed eating meat. Loved it, really. (Her words, not mine.)

We used to live next door to each other before she started farming, and it was a really cool set-up. We’d cook together a few times a week, and most many of the meals contained things like, bacon, bacon and more BACON.

We liked bacon. I still like bacon. SHE liked bacon when she decided to make the switch. And fried chicken. In fact, she still drools over both of them. No grossed out feelings when she watches me, or anyone else, eat meat.

So, why then, would my sister decide to become a vegetarian?

Well, the actual answer is that I started by eating meat only when I knew where it came from, and how it was raised. That got expensive and hard-ish to find. And I stopped for a while. I realized that I felt really great, plenty of energy, etc. And then I simply felt like I couldn’t justify eating an animal only because I liked the way it tastes. I still feel that way. Which sucks cause you can’t really make excuses for that one. LOL

One vegetarian decision doesn’t beget another, friends. Interesting, right?

My sister and I were chatting the other day and she mentioned making meatball subs over the weekend, based on a recipe from The Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations by Kim O’Donnel. Meatball subs.

Clearly I had to know more, so I quickly shot her a message asking her to photograph EVERYTHING and to follow up by sending me a recipe. I had to know how a vegetarian meatball sub turned out.

Luckily, she’s okay with entertaining my bizarre, last minute requests, starting with a shot of the cooked lentils and garlic cooling her windowsill.

Mmm… Lentils and garlic.

Followed by a shot of the meatball mixture: lentils, rice, breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, pepper and egg.

Next up: a shot of the rolled meatballs, and after this photo she chilled them for a while.

Then, FRYING! She pan-fried the meatballs on all four sides. Or, whatever you call the “sides” of a sphere shape.

And lots of mozzarella with a toasty bun?  Sure!

And, of course, sauce … and … more … CHEESE.

Om-nom-nom.

So, wanna know the recipe? It’s pretty close to the original, but my sister did make a few changes. Enjoy!

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Yield: 6

Vegetarian "Meatball" Sub

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

This vegetarian "meatball" sub is a nice meatless alternative to the classic!

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Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 1/2 cup cooked long-grain brown rice, cooled
• 1 cup dried brown or green lentils
• 5 garlic cloves: 2 whole, 3 minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1/2 cup for panfrying
• 1 medium sized onion, grated
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 23-28oz can of tomato puree
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs or panko
• 1 egg, beaten lightly
• 6 6-inch sub rolls, toasted
• Fresh mozzarella for topping

Instructions

Place the lentils in a large saucepan along with the 2 whole garlic cloves and the water. Bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to keep it at a simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils thoroughly and then spread them out on a sheet pan to cool completely.

While the lentils are cooking, prepare the marinara sauce. Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of onion and the 3 minced garlic cloves, and continue cooking until they're softened - about 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the dried oregano, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomato puree, stirring to combine, and then bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat, and let the sauce simmer (covered) for 20 minutes. Then keep it warm until you're ready to make the sandwiches.

Place the cooled lentils and garlic into a food processor and pulse until they're mashed. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl, add the rice, remaining onion, oregano, grated cheese, egg, salt, pepper and bread crumbs. Use a wooden spoon (or your hands!) to mix everything together well.

Using a 1/4 measure or an ice cream scoop, shape into balls and place them on a cookie sheet.They'll be sticky! Refrigerate them for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Over medium-high heat, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet until the oil shimmers. Gently lower the balls into the oil, cooking for about 2 minutes on each of 4 sides - until they're browned. Cook them in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan, and lower the heat to medium after the first batch is done.

Transfer the first batch to a baking sheet to finish cooking for 5 minutes. Lower the oven to 225°F to keep them warm.

Put the vegetarian meatball subs together with the marinara and plenty of mozzarella - you'll want to broil the subs to make the cheese all melty and gooey. Makes enough for 6 subs, so freeze any of the meatballs you don't plan to use right away.

Notes

In order for the balls to hold together, the mixture should be almost sticky and the lentils need to be very soft for that to happen. If they do start to fall apart, it could be that they need to chill longer and/or the lentils need more cooking time/liquid.