I am a carnivore, there is no doubt about that, but I have always loved a good veggie burger. During my single, working-gal days I ate a lot of these, and more recently I've tried sampling different kinds of veggie burgers at restaurants. What I love most: a crispy exterior, a juicy interior that doesn't fall apart and a "burger" that actually tastes like the vegetables inside. It never occurred to me to make my own until yesterday, when I was perusing healthy cooking sites (because I've been feeling like a gigantic, pregnant cow lately) and saw a few recipes. Suddenly I found myself reading through at least 50 of them all over the web, and I settled on ingredients and a recipe of my own.
Can I tell you something? Can I shout it? All caps signifies that I'm screaming in your face, FYI.
I AM SO PROUD OF THIS BURGER. It was a major experiment and it worked! I truly believe that both carnivores and vegetarians will love this recipe. Mushrooms paired with Worcestershire tend to create a meaty flavor, and the lentils pack this burger with protein. It was very crispy on the outside, and the inside was juicy, rich and delicious. Served on a whole wheat bun with arugula, dijon mustard and melty Provolone cheese (which I put on top at the very end of the cooking process), it was perfect. PERFECT. I'M SHOUTING AT YOU AGAIN.
8 oz. mushrooms, chopped finely (I used my food processor)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup cooked lentils
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and sauté for roughly 7 minutes, until vegetables are tender and onions are translucent. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, and let cool briefly. In a large bowl, stir together mushroom mixture, lentils, bread crumbs, egg and salt and pepper. Form into four patties, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. When ready to cook, heat remaining olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add burger patties, and cook for 5-7 minutes per side, until nice and crispy.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and sauté for roughly 7 minutes, until vegetables are tender and onions are translucent. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, and let cool briefly. In a large bowl, stir together mushroom mixture, lentils, bread crumbs, egg and salt and pepper. Form into four patties, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. When ready to cook, heat remaining olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add burger patties, and cook for 5-7 minutes per side, until nice and crispy.
*I found pre-cooked lentils in the produce section of my regular grocery store.
**I only made two of the burgers, and I froze the other two patties for later : )
This looks insanely delicious, I can't believe how much they look like actual burgers!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis looks insanely delicious, I can't believe how much they look like actual burgers!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove these!! They look so dense and meaty - a lot of veggie burgers are just dry and crumbly with no flavour. I give you the official vegetarian's seal of approval! ;)
ReplyDeleteThis looks so good! I love veggie burgers but my husband always says homemade ones fall apart, so we can only get Boca. I'm going to convert him with this recipe.
ReplyDeletewow look so delicious
ReplyDeleteThis looks good, but I still have an issue eating lentils any time other than when my mom makes her lentil soup. I don't know why. But I should try this. But don't fret, we ate your buffalo chicken burgers tonight! Yum!
ReplyDeletethis sounds like a good change for my husband who doesn't eat red meat. I think he can only handle so many turkey and chicken burgers.
ReplyDeleteYummy, I want one !!! Roger was just saying he wanted to try a veggie burger!!!!
ReplyDeleteCurious what kind of bread crumbs you used - (fresh or dried) - thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI am pinning right now, and I have high hopes my kids will eat these! Thank you :-)
ReplyDeleteI used dried bread crumbs : )
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of lentils did you use? (I know pre-cooked, but wondering if they were green, black, red?) Thanks! Hoping to make the recipe this week!
ReplyDeleteI just made this tonight and it is the BEST vegetarian burger I've ever made. And we've been vegetarian for 20+ years. High praise. Now that we can get pre-cooked lentils, it'll be very easy to make these any night.
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