Meatball Makeover
These Beef and Lentil Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce are a great way to get into the holiday spirit, incorporate more plant protein and increase your Vitamin C intake. Fresh cranberries are typically available in U.S. supermarkets only after harvest, from October through January. Frozen cranberries should be available year-round. Cranberries are an exceptional source of Vitamin C and were actually supplied to sailors on early long-term voyages to prevent scurvy!1,2 One cup of fresh cranberries provide a quarter of the RDA for Vitamin C, while products like cranberry juice usually contain additional Vitamin C to supply the full RDA in one serving.2
If you already have a favorite meatball recipe, feel free to adapt it with a simple substitution: cooked lentils for half of the meat. Lentils are a great source of fiber, phosphorus, and calcium, and are more budget-friendly than animal proteins.3 Lentils, like many other plant proteins, are great at absorbing the flavors of other ingredients they are paired with. For a greater depth of flavor, try cooking lentils in a low-sodium vegetable broth instead of water.
Citations
1. Neto, C.C., Vinson, J.A. (2011) Cranberry. In Benzie I.F.F., Wachtel-Galor S., (Eds.), Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects (2nd ed.).
2. Hedstrom, N. & Fishman, L. (2008) Vegetables and Fruits for Health: Cranberries. University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
3. FoodData Central. (2023) Lentils, dry (Foundation, 2644283) [Data set]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
This article was part of the November 2024 e-news FRESH Rx. Subscribe for similar content delivered to your inbox.