Mustardy lentil burgers

We tend to always go for bean burgers in this house and I find this mixture of beans and tortilla chips works particularly well. But sometimes, it’s good for a mix up and with the onset of Autumn, lentils seemed a far more appropriate choice.

I’ve not made lentil burgers before and was worried that the texture would be too crumbly and the taste lacking, but with a good wallop of mustard and the magic binding properties of aquafaba the resulting burgers are wonderfully flavoursome with no hint of cumbliness. The combination of lentils, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, herbs and mustard two ways gives a rich earthiness to the burgers, making them perfect for the Autumn table.

We served them in homemade chive bagel buns ( recipe to follow) and the hint of chive oniony flavour really enhanced the rich, deep flavour of the burgers. I think we’ll be having these often this Autumn!

Mustardy lentil burgers

(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

1 cup cooked green lentils

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3-4 medium mushroom, roughly chopped

1 slice of bread, processed or grated into breadcrumbs

1 tsp English mustard powder

1 tsp herbed de Provence

3 tsps Dijon mustard

3 tbsp aquafaba

1. Fry the shallot in 1 tbsp olive oil until starting to turn golden, add the garlic and mushrooms and herbs and continue to cook until the mushrooms start to colour. Stir in the mustard powder
2. Combine with the breadcrumbs and cooked lentils and process until well combined and fairly smooth
3. Add the aquafaba and Dijon mustard and mix well. The mixture will be fairly sloppy. Form into four even sized patties and place in the fridge to firm up ( at least half an hour)
4. Gently fry in oil until brown and crispy on the outside, then transfer to a medium hot oven (180 degrees) for 15 minutes to heat through.
5. These freeze well after the initial frying, then simply defrost and heat in the oven.