Whether you are a die-hard carnivore or veggie-loving vegan, I think we can all agree that WE LOVE BURGERS!
There’s something about biting into a thick stack of savory wonderfulness and having the juice run down your arms that is highly satisfying.
This recipe is based on my mother-in-law’s kebab recipe – sans the lamb and beef. But the flavor shows up in full force with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.
Veggie-based burgers can be challenging to get the texture right, while making sure that you don’t burn the outside just to have the inside turn out raw.
For this concoction, making two thinner patties and stacking them on top of each other achieves the right amount of bite. And while you could slater this with ketchup and mustard, I highly recommend you try making the sun-dried tomato/harissa/mayo sauce. It really creates a special flavor that I’m pretty sure you’ll want to make a staple in your culinary repertoire!
Burger Ingredients (8 servings – approx. 16 burgers at 2 per serving)
16 ounces cooked (or canned, rinsed and drained) brown lentils
2 large portobello mushrooms (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
½ medium sweet onion
3 garlic cloves
½ cup garbanzo bean flour (or flour of choice)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil + extra for cooking
8 burger buns of choice (I used mini tomato focaccia buns for their awesome flavor!)
Toppings
Thinly sliced tomatoes
Thinly sliced sweet onion
Lettuce of choice (I used frisee lettuce for its peppery bite)
Sauce Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise (I used vegan mayo)
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
4 tablespoons harissa paste
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Directions
1. Place all sauce ingredients in a blender or small food processor and blend until the consistency of a paste. Place in the refrigerator to chill until time to serve.
2. Place the onions, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil in a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Add in the mushrooms and pulse until roughly chopped. Add in the lentils and flour and gently pulse until well blended and ingredients forms a thick mixture with a texture similar to ground beef.
3. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat until it is hot enough that a splash of water immediately sizzles and dissipates.
4. Using a ¼ cup measuring spoon, fill it with burger mixture and plop into the skillet and use the back of a fork to flatten it to ¼ inch thick and shape it into a patty the match the size of the buns.
5. Drizzle 3 to 4 drops of olive oil around the sides of the burger and swirl around the pan so that it sizzles against all sides of the burger. This helps to prevent sticking and to properly cook the burger.
6. Cook the burger for 4 minutes and use a large spatula to flip it (the burger is ready to flip when it the spatula easily slides under it to flip). The outside should be slightly charred. Then cook another 4 minutes on the opposite side. Depending on the size of your skillet, cook 1 or 2 burgers at a time. You can place the cooked burgers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper while waiting to cook the remaining burgers and keep them warm in the oven on low.
7. After all burgers are cooked, assemble by spreading a layer of topping ingredients on both sides of the bun. Place 2 burger patties on the bottom bun, then add tomato and onion slices, and top with lettuce.
8. Serve hot immediately.
Heather - Butter & Burlap says
Those buns are awesome! I’ve been dying to make homemade harissa, I’ve just been too intimidated to try! But man, the flavors look amazing!
Amy says
Yeah, those buns were pretty awesome! I have to admit that I’ve been using a pre-made harissa paste, but it you want to try making your own, here’s a link to a homemade harissa.