Easy Delicious Lentil Burgers With Quinoa
These lentil burgers are very quick and easy to make. Tasty and wholesome, they are a popular option with both adults and kids. I love the addition of quinoa flakes for that extra nutritional kick. If you don't have quinoa flakes you could substitute rolled oats or millet flakes. Stick with quinoa or millet if you want to keep the burgers gluten free.
Ingredients For The Lentil Burgers
350g/2 and one third cups of split red lentils
700mls/3 cups of water
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
100g grated cheese (cheddar, monterey jack or whatever you like)
100g/½ cup of rice, cooked
75g/1 cup of quinoa flakes
Some extra quinoa flakes, cornmeal or flour for coating (obviously don't use wheat flour if you want your lentil burgers to be gluten free).
Cooking Lentils
If you are familiar with cooking red lentils, you will know that they turn into a purée as they cook.
People often ask about the red lentil water ratio you should use. A good general guideline is about 2 to 1 lentils to water but this really depends on what you are making.
For lentil patties, you need a fairly stiff consistency so be mean with the water. You can always add a little more if you need to during the cooking. Keep a close eye on them though. They tend to stick to the bottom of the pan as the liquid evaporates. For more on cooking lentils, take a look at our Lentil Recipes page.
Method
1. Put the lentils, water, onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme into a large pot and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are cooked and the water has been absorbed. The time this takes can vary. Many people find that these lentils take up to half an hour to cook but I find that split red lentils often cook in about 15 minutes.
2. When the lentils are cooked, remove from the heat, discard the bay leaf and stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow the lentils to cool, then stir in the rice and quinoa flakes.
3. When the mixture is cold, start shaping the lentil burgers. This is easy but a little messy so use a large chopping board or clear a space on your worktop and sprinkle with quinoa flakes or flour. Red lentils make a slightly stickier mixture than many other homemade veggie burgers so don't worry if it seems slightly wet. If it seems excessively so, add some extra quinoa flakes.
4. Now take a large tablespoon of the mixture, place it on your floured surface and dust generously with more quinoa flakes or flour. Roll into a ball and then flatten gently to make a burger shape.
Tip!
If you are worried that the mixture is wet or difficult to work with, just toss the burger back into the bowl and mix in more quinoa flakes.
6. To cook, place the lentil burgers on an oiled tray or pan and bake for 15-20 minutes in a hot oven (about 425F/220F), turning once. They can also be fried in canola or sunflower oil for a few minutes each side then finished in the oven.
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