Vegan BBQ LentilBall Sandwiches

Mm-hm. Who says vegans can’t have it all? This sandwich is THE BOMB. Flavor plus, plus, plus. These lentil balls are very versatile, too. You can use them with BBQ sauce or tomato sauce for an Italian meal. Yummmm. AND, a perfect 4th of July recipe!

I made a simple cabbage/carrot slaw to go with these. And also whipped up a quick barbecue sauce. You can use whatever BBQ sauce you like. You can also go all out and make a homemade BBQ sauce, like the one I have here on my blog: Smoky Mountain Barbecue Sauce. Any way you serve ’em up, these will be a huge hit! Finger lickin’, lip smakin’ deliciousness.

Ingredients:

lentil balls
cole slaw
BBQ sauce
6 whole grain buns
sweet pickles (optional)

~ for the balls

1 cup red lentils + 3 cups water
1 cup cooked, short-grain brown rice
2 TBS ground chia seeds
1 TBS Spike salt-free seasoning
1 TBS smoked paprika
2 tsp dried onion flakes
1 TBS brown mustard
1 TBS coconut syrup (or date syrup or molasses)

before baking

Directions:

Simmer the lentils with the water until tender. Let cool
Using a fine strainer, push as much water out of the cooked lentils as you can, with a ladle or a large spoon.
Transfer to a bowl and mix in remaining ingredients.
Refrigerate for several hours, overnight is best.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Shape the mixture into 1½” balls and bake for 40 minutes, turning once at 20.
Assemble the sandwiches. You can coat the balls with the BBQ sauce first or just top them with the sauce when they’re on the buns.