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Lentil, Courgette & Thyme Burgers


I had a craving for a burger, but not a supermarket burger, something a bit more deluxe. Deluxe veggie burgers aren't easy to find, so I had to make them myself.

I had a look in my fridge. My options were courgettes, red peppers, carrots, spring onions and potatoes. I stood gazing at them for a while (I am determined to have less waste from my salad drawer) then decided on courgette, red pepper and spring onions for my burgers.



I then had a look in my store cupboard for some sort of legume to bulk the burgers out. I wanted to make these burgers quickly, so it had to be tinned legumes. My choice - chickpeas, green lentils or kidney beans. I settled on the green lentils, but then I was brought up short. Graham is vegan now so I couldn't use an egg to bind them. Time for a bit of experimentation.

I don't know if you make vegan burgers and what you use as a binder instead of egg, but I thought, mashed potato, peanut butter or tahini might do the trick. I didn't want to wait while potatoes cooked and thought peanut butter might overwhelm the flavour, so I plumped for tahini and it worked very well.

Talking of overwhelming the flavour, as you can see from the photo, I put way to much mustard on my roll. It looks great in the photo, but it did drown the flavour of the burger a bit. So my advice is to go easy with your toppings. Graham did and said it was really tasty and Cooper enjoyed his too.

Lunch
Everyone happy
Craving satisfied

These are great for dinner, but they are perfect for a veggie BBQ and I know my American friends would love them for their 4th of July cookouts.



print recipe

Lentil Courgette & Thyme Burgers
A healthy veggie burger, packed with flavour for the whole family to enjoy. Made in 25 minutes, then chilled or frozen until you need them.
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 6 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 1 medium courgette, grated
  • 1 red pepper, finely diced
  • 2 slices wholemeal bread, whizzed into breadcrumbs in a food processor
  • 235g cooked green lentils
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • a few sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 100g/1 cup frozen vegetarian (soya) mince
  • 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (you could use tomato puree)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • a good grinding of salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the spring onions. Toss in the oil for a few seconds.2. Add the pepper and cook for a few seconds more than add the courgette. Cook until the courgette starts to soften.3. Add the veggie mince and breadcrumbs and stir well. The mince and breadcrumbs will absorb the moisture from the courgette, which will prevent your ingredients from being too wet.4. Now add the lentils, chilli sauce, and soy sauce and mix well. Cook for a few minutes, so the veggie mince has a chance to cook through. 5. Add the tahini and season well. You will fell the mixture starting to come together.6. Put the mixture in a large bowl and leave to cool. Once it is cool enough to handle, shape into 7 balls, with floured hands, then gently squeeze into patties.7. Chill the burgers until you are ready to cook them. They will hold shape better if they are chilled for a while.8. Bake, griddle or fry the burgers. I fried mine a little rapeseed oil for a few minutes on each side until browned.9. Serve on toasted burger buns with your choice of toppings. Go easy on the mustard!10. Enjoy!
Details
Total time:
Yield: Makes 7 burgers

26 comments

  1. Your vegan veggie & soy mince meat burgers look so delectable & tasty too, dear Jaqueline!
    Sometimes, I use a flaxseed egg, to combine it all or oats & beans, partially smashed up!

    I can't wait to make them! xxx

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  2. Look at how big Cooper is getting. These are pulled together beautifully Jacqueline.

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  3. I could use one of those right now. And wow, isn't Cooper growing fast. What a sweetie.

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  4. Really good recipe for a veggie burger. I have never tried soya mince in a burger before, you have given me an idea to try it now. :)x

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  5. Love your homemade delicious veggie burger, and the recipe is awesome!
    Your little son is so adorable, and he sure loves the healthy yummy burger:)
    Great photos, as well:)

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth, he really did enjoy it. I think he is adorable too :)

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  6. How much has Copper grown! Wow. Lovely burgers too, I am with you it is surprisingly difficult to get hold of decent veggie burgers.

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    1. Yes, pretty darn impossible It is definitely best to make your own. Much tastier and healthier no doubt!

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  7. Love these veggie burgers! I'll try them soon, I think :)

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    1. Hope you enjoy them Alex. I just got some out of the freezer for my hubby to have tonight. He is working late, so just wanted something light to eat.

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  8. My go-to for vegan burgers is the Post Punk Kitchen site. beet burgers, or curry burgers or even these lentil burgers are really nice -- and since the entire site is vegan, there's a lot more to discover and tweak on your own.

    You continue to inspire with the way you feed your people. ☺

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    1. Thanks Tanita and I'll have a look at those links :)

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  9. I would have gone for the chickpeas as I'm not a lentil fan :)

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  10. They look great. Have you tried a burger press for them? I find that really helps veggie/vegan burgers to stick together.
    No mention of lentils or tahini in the ingredients though ;-)

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    1. Haha, what a twit I am. I have added them in now. Must have been distracted. Well spotted :)

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    2. I'm always doing that and can never spot my own mistakes until I've published them.

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    3. Well thanks for telling me :) I was probably answering Cooper's a million and one questions while I typed.

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  11. I do a bit of mashing up of the beans (and I use quinoa instead of bread as it mashes really well cos it goes a bit sticky) and sometimes use soaked chia if I think ahead. I haven't tried my vegan egg replacer yet but maybe that would work too. In any case tahini sounds fab and adds another layer of flavour. It certainly looks like Cooper enjoyed his Mum's efforts!

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  12. These look divine! Shall be trying them soon. And what a cutie Cooper is!

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x