Vegan lentil burgers are certainly healthy, but not to be underestimated is the fact that they are also super delicious, a way to get my daughter to eat legumes, which she doesn’t love at all. Try them if you want a delicious and flavorful dinner.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 16 burgers
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups dried lentils
1 stalk celery
1 tsp baking soda
2 pinches fine salt
2 3/4 cups water
7 oz potatoes
8 cloves artichokes (in oil)
14 green olives
2 1/8 cups breadcrumbs (plus another 2 1/8 cups for breading)
3 1/2 oz onion (a large onion)
3 tbsps olive oil

Preparation

The dried lentils I used do not need soaking, but I still soaked them in water and baking soda for 20 minutes to clean them in case of residues.
After this time, I drained them, discarded the soaking water, and put them directly in the pot with 1.5 liters (6 1/3 cups) of water, the washed and chopped celery stalk, quartered potatoes with skin, and fine salt. If you prefer, you can cook the lentils and potatoes in separate pots.
In the meantime, place the oil and the onion, peeled and finely sliced, in a small pan. Sauté until golden brown.
After about 20 minutes from boiling, the potatoes should be cooked (check if they’re soft), remove them from the pot with a fork, place them in a bowl, and peel them. The lentils took about 45 minutes to cook, they will be dry but not too much (about 21 oz cooked). Taste if you need to adjust the salt.
In a mixer, place the almost cold lentils, potatoes, onion, artichokes, and olives, and blend until smooth.
Return the lentil mixture to the pot or a bowl, add the breadcrumbs and mix. You will get a soft but workable mixture. Depending on the lentil’s consistency, you may need to add more or less breadcrumbs.
Wet your hands with a little water and take portions of about 2 oz of the mixture (you will make about 16). Form balls and roll them in breadcrumbs.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place your slightly flattened burgers on top. Drizzle with a little oil.
Bake at 356°F for about 30 minutes. Turn them halfway through.
They should be golden and crispy outside, but soft inside.

Suggestions/tips

If you use completely cold lentils, you can also avoid adding breadcrumbs or use much less. The amount of breadcrumbs depends a lot on the consistency of the lentils; however, the mixture should be soft but workable with wet hands.

You can also cook the patties in a pan with a little oil.

If you enjoyed the Vegan Lentil Burgers, try other vegan recipes:

Fennel, orange, and walnut salad

Rice-stuffed tomatoes (omit parmesan)

Chickpea hummus

Oven-baked pumpkin

Penne rigate with chickpeas and potatoes