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Chef Alan Hepner’s Veggie & Lentil Burger

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Chef Alan Hepner shares his sustainable, zero-waste recipe for Veggie & Lentil Burgers. As you’re preparing the vegetables, be sure to save all the scraps as they can be used when you prepare the lentils to help flavor the broth and the lentils!

 

Climate Week Cooking Tips:

Any time you have some leftover bread that’s getting stale, break it up into crumbs either with your hands or in a food processor, and toast in a low oven till dry. Store in an airtight container until needed.

 

When preparing dishes using vegetables, save the scraps to use in the dish if it has a cooking liquid or store in your freezer until you have enough to make a broth.

 

In this recipe, we’ll reserve the garlic and onion skins and their trimmings, and the scraps and trimmings from the bell pepper and carrot. We like to wrap them in some cheesecloth before we add to the cooking liquid for the lentils so that they’re easy to remove.

Veggie & Lentil Burgers

Ingredients:

  • 1lb of cooked lentils
  • 3 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
  • 1 medium red bell pepper (sliced)
  • 1 medium onion (divided in two halves, one half sliced)
  • 1 large carrot (sliced)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • Toasted panko or breadcrumbs (if needed)

 

Preparation:

  1. Flavor the lentil cooking liquid with the scraps from the onion, garlic, carrots and the bell pepper. Cook the lentils and one half of the onion until the lentils are soft but not too mushy. Strain and reserve with half of the cooked onion.
  2. Sautee the red bell pepper, half the onion, the carrot and the chopped garlic cloved in EVOO and salt until translucent (kind of a sofrito consistency).
  3. Blend vegetables with cooked lentils and half of the onion (acts as a natural binder) until pureed and incorporated.
  4. If the consistency doesn’t hold to form a patty, add toasted breadcrumbs/panko until desired consistency is reached.
  5. Form 3-4oz patties and refrigerate.

Cooking:

Sear on both sides on a very hot sauté pan and enjoy as desired!

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