Day 190: Lentil, Mushroom and Pecan Burgers
I’m going vegetarian. The good news: just added ketchup and W didn’t even notice it wasn’t his beloved meat. (Notice the same batch of buns? They are getting a little stale…)
Lentil, Mushroom and Pecan Burgers
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
canola oil, for cooking with
2 cups mushrooms
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 19 oz. (540 mL) can lentils, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs)In a large dry skillet, toast the nuts over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Set them aside. Add the oil to the skillet and sauté the mushrooms and onion for about 5 minutes, until starting to turn golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.Put the mushrooms and onion in the bowl of a food processor along with the lentils, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and pulse just until the mixture is blended. Transfer it to a bowl and stir in the bread crumbs and pecans.
Shape the mixture into patties and fry them in a little oil in the same skillet set over medium heat. Cook until they’re golden and crusty on both sides, flipping them as you need to.
Makes 6 burgers.
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Sounds yummy! Are they sturdy enough to grill or is the pan method the safest bet?
Julie,
I’ve tried several versions of the vegetarian burger and I haven’t found one that’s a go-to. Maybe this is it! I plan to try it next week. Thanks for the inspiration.
How do you think these would freeze? I cook for one and am always looking for good recipes that I can freeze.
You know, they should freeze just fine… but I suspect they’d get watery when they thawed out. Might be worth experimenting with one, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up…
I do have a category (to the left) of recipes that are freezable, but more often than not I forget to add new recipe posts to that category, so I’m not sure how full it is!
Thanks for your great recipes! I was happy to see this one, as we love to have veggie burgers as an alternative to meat. Just wondering, if I have dry lentils, can they be used in place of canned, and how should I prepare them for the burgers?
I’m trying these as soon as possible. I like to think of myself as a budget gourmand, and these sound right up my alley — especially if they freeze.
hi Julie!
Im excited about this recipe since i have all the ingredients in my pantry and am set to give these a go some time next week, however, im just curious as to what exactly keeps the burgers from breaking apart or crumbling, would the addition of grounded flax seed mix be of any benefit to how they hold together?
Kind Regards,
Paola
Paola – the moisture of the ingredients keeps them together! I wouldn’t expect ground flax to help in that regard – they would add a nutritional boost though, so why not? Good luck -let me know how they turn out!
J