Making my own veggie burgers has always seemed like an incredibly daunting task, and coming up with my own recipe for one seemed even more difficult. I enrolled in Rouxbe to push myself as a cook, so when I was tasked with creating a dish with lentils and rice, I chose to make something new – a spicy Chipotle Lentil Burger.
You never know what could be lurking in store-bought veggie burgers. What exactly is modified cellulose? Where does caramel color come from? Should we be eating l-cysteine hydrochloride? I recently discovered a new brand of veggie burger that I really liked, only to discover that the third ingredient listed on the package was oil. That’s a lot of oil. No wonder they were so juicy.
When you make your own veggie burgers you’re in control of what they’re made with, and you don’t need a dictionary to decipher the ingredients list. These Chipotle Lentil Burgers are easy to make, and they’re versatile, so just about any leftover grain or bean will work in the place of lentils and rice.
Chipotle Lentil Burgers
Ingredients
Burger Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked brown lentils
- ½ cup cooked brown rice
- ¼ cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup chipotles in adobo minced (include both some chiles and the sauce)
- ¼ cup roasted red pepper minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons onion finely minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro minced
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
For Serving (optional):
- Whole wheat buns
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Sliced onions
- Pickled Jalapenos
- Lettuce
- Sliced tomatoes
- Chopped avocado
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Mix together all of the burger ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Mash everything together as you go. (Using a potato masher helps.)
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Form the burgers into four patties. If you have one, a ring mold will help shape them, but forming patties by hand is completely fine.
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Bake the burgers for 20 minutes. Flip them and bake for an addition 5 to 10 minutes. They should be golden brown and firm.
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Serve the burgers on whole wheat buns with all the toppings and enjoy!
Looks incredibly delicious!!!
Thank you, Natalie!