Years ago, I found myself the only vegetarian at a barbecue hosted by co-workers. I’ve dabbled with vegetarianism on and off; this was during one of my “on” phases. Thoughtfully, or so I thought, I packed my own frozen meatless patties so no would even notice that I wasn’t eating meat. Of course, that didn’t happen.
Instead, my hard hockey puck commercial discs became the center of everyone’s attention.
“These don’t even look like meat!” remarked one of the “hosts,” a rotund guy named Mac who considered himself a comic. He cooked them – right on the same grill with the ground beef – and then tasted one afterward.
“No wonder you’re so skinny, you’re eatin’ cardboard!”
No More Pucks
These mushroom and lentil burgers would shut Mac up. They offer a similar meaty umami quality to the real thing. Topped with cheese, it hits the same satisfying flavor receptors as a traditional burger. Make your own breadcrumbs by either pulverizing an extra hamburger bun or leftover bread in a food processor; these can be made from leftover gluten-free breads as well.
This calls for steak seasoning. I am a fan of the Montreal Steak Seasoning from World Spice Merchants in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, although you can certainly use the classic Montreal Steak Seasoning from McCormick, or use your own favorite blend. You can use canned pre-cooked lentils available on market shelves, but the texture of making them from dried beans is superior for burgers and takes 20 (hands-free) minutes.
Pre-cooked lentils come in 15 oz. cans so if you’re using those, you might as well double the recipe since these patties freeze so well. Topping with cheese is optional. Great toppings for these burgers include sliced avocado, tomatoes and mixed greens. One cup dry lentils yields about two cups cooked. Makes four burgers and is easily doubled. These mushroom and lentil burgers can be made a day ahead and then simply re-heated on the grill.
You May Also Like:
Black Beans, Greens and Corn Burgers (vegan, gluten free)
Go With the Flow Lentil Soup
Mushroom and Lentil Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry green or red lentils OR 8 oz. 225g pre-cooked lentils
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or cooking spray
- ½ medium onion 225g, chopped (3/4 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 6 oz. cremini or Portobello mushrooms 180g, chopped fine (2 cups)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon steak seasoning optional
- 6 oz. cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large ovenproof skillet (such as cast iron) over medium-high heat, adding a bit more vegetable oil. Cook the patties for about four minutes on one side until browned, adjusting the heat so it doesn’t burn. Then put into the oven for about 10 minutes. If you want to make cheese burgers, remove the patties after six minutes, add the cheese and finish under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Notes
Photos by Kathleen Flinn. This page contains affiliate links. Originally posted in 2013; it has been updated.
This recipe looks really good. I can’t wait it give it a try.
Great! I hope you do. I’m posting more veggie burger recipes in the next few days.
what a great recipe, Kathleen. thanks for sharing! this is the perfect way to cut out meat from my diet from time to time and there’s the added fun of trying to trick my husband into thinking it’s meat:)
Thank you, I’ve recently been searching for this!
Done! Husband was none the wiser;)
Yay!
I wanted to leave a message just to let you know that this has become my go-to meatless burger recipe. I have made it about a dozen times. I had never used Montreal steak seasoning before and bought it for this recipe and now I use it on everything!
Thank you, I make this all the time, too. I’ve recently started to pack in jalapeno peppers for an extra kick.
These are awesome. Flavorful, held together well. Delicious with a bulgur salad and fresh sweet corn on the cob. Thank you!
Great, so glad to hear you liked them!
These look super savory and easy. Quick question: Are you using the egg a binder? Could flax egg (ground flax see + warm water) be substituted? Many thanks!
Sorry for the late response, yes I think that would work.
I left the wrong email address. My question was when you put these in the oven, is that just to keep them warm or cook more? What temperature should the oven be?
Great question, and I need to adjust the recipe. Put into a 300 degree oven. The reason is to assure both the egg, which is used as a binder, and the mushroom get a chance to fully cook through. If you want to add cheese, then you can add it and while it should melt enough, if it doesn’t, then crank on the broiler for a minute.