You can make burgers, patties, or fritters with just about any starring ingredient if you have an egg and breadcrumbs. Today’s burger features lentils. Packed with protein and with no overnight soaking needed, this comes together quicky. Plus, lentils can be a jumping off point for lots of different flavors.
Choices:
- In the mood for Mexican? While the lentils are cooking, add 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Once the burgers are done, add a dollop of salsa and jack cheese
- Feel like German today? While the lentils are cooking, add a pinch of caraway or mustard seeds, and 2 teaspoons paprika and top with sauerkraut
- How about French? While the lentils are cooking, add any combination of 1 teaspoon parsley, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, chives, chervil, or a mix (Herbes de Provence) and top with caramelized onion.
As you see, lentil burgers are very flexible — you cannot go wrong.
Arliano Update (Aggiornamento Arliano):
We’re enjoying our first zucchinis from the garden and our fruit trees are finally producing fruit after being planted three years ago. Small victories!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (about 385 grams) black or brown lentils — do not use orange or yellow lentils for this recipe, as they will turn to total mush
- 6 cups water or vegetable stock (or a combination of the two)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced, about 1/2 cup
- 1 small onion (any color), peeled and finely diced, about 1/2 cup
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced, about 1/2 cup
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 – 1 cup (about 45 – 90 grams) fresh breadcrumbs. The amount needed will depend on how cooked and moist your lentils are
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 generous teaspoon of Kosher or sea salt (not iodized table salt), more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- SEE HEADNOTE for additional herbs/spice to use, depending on which direction you’d like to take these patties
Directions
- NOTE: These may be made ahead, then gently re-heated, if desired. They may also be partially made ahead, refrigerating the mixture just before the cooking stage
- In a 4-quart pot over low heat, add the finely diced carrot, onion, celery, salt and pepper, (plus any spices you may choose from the headnote) and 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Sauté and stir often until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes
- Rinse the lentils and place them in the pot with the sauteed vegetables with any other herbs or spices you plan to use (SEE HEADNOTE for ideas). Add water or vegetable stock. Bring the liquid to boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer with medium-low heat. Cook for approximately 35 minutes. At the 30-minute mark start testing the lentils for doneness by tasting a few. They should be tender, not starchy (undercooked) or mushy (over cooked). Check every few minutes
- Transfer the lentils into a colander or stainer and let the liquid drain into the sink for at least 15 minutes. Give the colander or strainer a good shake to remove all the liquid. Then, transfer the drained lentils to a baking sheet, spread them out and let them fully cool and continue to dry for 15 minutes
- Transfer the cooled lentils to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor and add the breadcrumbs and beaten egg. If using a food processor, pulse until you reach a consistency of ground meat. At least two-thirds of the lentils should be fully pulverized. (If you squeeze together a handful of processed lentils, they should stay clumped.) If you are not using a food processor, mash the lentils with a potato masher or a fork until you reach a ground meat consistency. IMPORTANT NOTE: Draining the lentils with the colander, resting them on a baking sheet, and pulverizing them will help ensure that they do not break or crumble apart when you pan fry them. If you don’t do these steps, the burger will surely crumble. These are meant to be pan fried, not grilled
- At this point, if you wanted to, you could even cover the cooked, drained, and cooled lentils and refrigerate them for up to a couple of days begore proceeding with the next steps. This is a great do-ahead recipe, if needed
- Form patties from the lentil mixture and set them aside
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Pan fry the lentil patties until they are browned on each side. Top with any idea from the headnote. In a sealed container, leftover lentil burgers may be kept for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Knowing this, you can make them ahead and gently re-heat them in a sauté pan
Greg Nelson Cooks 