The sun might be setting on summertime, but it's never too late in the season for a cookout. Burgers and hot dogs are the traditional grilled fare, but that doesn't mean plant-based eaters can't get in on the fun. Case in point: These curried red lentil burgers from mbg Collective member Phoebe Lapine of the blog Feed Me Phoebe.
In a delicious recipe recently shared on Instagram, Lapine revealed these burgers are one of her favorite healthy dishes, plus they're easy to modify to suit dietary needs.
"When I went back to eating legumes after the low-FODMAP diet, red lentils were one of the first that I was able to successfully add back into my rotation," she explains. "The tactic I was able to use was incorporating small amounts of red lentils into my recipes, using them as an accent instead of the main event. Which is exactly the role they play in these quinoa and lentil burgers."
Curried Red Lentil Burgers With Mint Raita
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 teaspoon Madras curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- ½ cup red lentils
- ⅓ cup gluten-free rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped mint or cilantro, divided
- 1 cup full-fat yogurt or coconut yogurt
- 1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed
- 1 small Kirby or Persian cucumber, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 8 gluten-free burger buns, toasted
Method
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium, lidded stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion until translucent, 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, pepper flakes, and salt along with the quinoa, red lentils, and oats. Cook for 2 minutes more or until quite fragrant. Add 3 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer until the quinoa is cooked and almost all the liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and set aside until cool enough to touch. Stir in half the mint or cilantro.
- Grease a ⅓ cup measure and use it to portion the quinoa mixture into 8 to 10 mounds on the parchment-lined baking sheet. With your hands, shape the red lentil burgers into patties, 1 inch thick, patting them until compact. Transfer to the oven, and bake until the patties have dried out and formed a nice brown crust on the bottom, 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the burgers, and bake for 10 more minutes, until firm and crispy.
- While the burgers bake, prepare the raita: In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, remaining mint, jalapeño, cucumber, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt.
- Serve the veggie burgers on toasted buns with the raita, and add some extra herbs, or eat bun-less as a snack.
