Red lentil burgers w/ mayo and pickled onions {vegan}

(cliccate qui per la versione italiana)

Happy Monday!

I’ve only recently discovered red lentils (I’d always eaten the brown ones) and I’m obsessed! They’re split, which means they cook in only 15 minutes, plus I love the taste and texture. Never going back!! I decided to make these burgers one day while I was eating a homemade red lentil soup with lots of warm spices such as coriander and cumin, and I thought it would make a great burger too! So these were born.

P.S. please don’t skip the pickled onions, or you’ll lose half the overall flavor (and color)!

RED LENTIL BURGERS W/ MAYO AND PICKLED ONIONS {vegan}
by Marta Giaccone

Recipe
8 burgers
prep time: 15 mins, cook time: 55 mins, total time: 1 hr 10 mins

Red lentil burgers
2 tbsp evo oil
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
pinch salt
1 cup / 200 gr red lentils
1 cup / 250 ml vegetable broth
scant 1 cup /125 gr cooked chickpeas
handful fresh coriander
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
vegan mayo (see recipe below)
picked red onions (see recipe below)
8 bread buns
a couple handfuls mixed baby greens

Method

1. Finely chop onion and garlic. Add to a medium pot along with 2 tbsp evoo. Sautee over medium-low heat until they are translucent. Add salt, coriander and cumin. In the meantime bring 1 cup of vegetable broth to a boil.
2. Add lentils to the oil and spice pot and let toast, stirring often. After 5 minutes, add the vegetable broth. Let cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir often and make sure the bottom doesn’t stick to the pot.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
4. Transfer the lentil mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add chickpeas, fresh coriander and breadcrumbs (you can start with 2 tbsp and add more if necessary). Mix and mash with a fork or use an immersion blender. In the end you should be able to form burgers that are solid enough to hold together (see photos). Form 8 round patties.
5. Lined and lightly oil a baking sheet, place the burger patties, then brush each patty with a bit of oil. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, carefully flipping halfway.
6. Build your burgers: cut the buns, spread some mayo on both pieces of bread, place some baby greens, fresh coriander, pickled onions, burger, more coriander, then top with bread. Enjoy!
7. The cooked patties will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for a few days.

Pickled onions
1 red onion
½ cup / 125 ml apple cider vinegar
1 cup / 250 ml water
1 tbsp sugar
salt

Method

1. Add all ingredients, except the onion, to a medium bowl. Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Slice the onion thinly, add to bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour (highly recommended: after a couple of hours, transfer to fridge and let sit overnight. This way the onion will turn pink)

Vegan mayo
80 gr vegetable oil (I used evoo)
40 gr soy milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
pinch salt

Method

1. Put all ingredients in an immersion blender glass and blend, from the bottom up, for a few seconds (don’t overdo it). The mayo should be smooth and silky.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to fridge to firm up further (optional) or use as is. Store in the fridge.