Hearty Beluga Lentil Burgers with Sun-Dried Tomato Aioli

Hearty beluga lentil burgers: Beluga (also know as black) lentils play a starring role in these hearty veggie burgers, along with walnuts, Kalamata olives, and rosemary. Topped with sun-dried tomato aioli, these burgers are a flavour bomb. Serve with crispy oven fries or a green salad! 

Another Wednesday, another fun recipe to celebrate the middle of the week! Speaking of which, how is your week going so far? I’m on the home stretch of my degree now- hooray! And I’m going on a picnic today, which, if you know me, is one of my favourite activities. In my opinion, food + fresh air happen to be a couple of the most glorious things in the world. I’m making this classic Purple Power Salad, my Green Goddess Hummus, bread, and a couple of delicious cheeses from Whole Foods- a merlot-soaked goat cheese from France and a Spanish manchego. Plus kombucha and some chocolate chunk oatmeal cookie bars that I’ll be sharing here soon. I am counting down the hours until lunch time. 🙂

But enough about me! You know that I am a big fan of veggie burgers, and these black lentil burgers hit the mark. This is a great recipe to have as we head into summer- a vegan burger that doesn’t masquerade as meat, but is hearty and flavourful enough to satisfy non-vegans and vegans alike. 

the details

This recipe is a riff on my black lentil walnut meatballs. Instead of shaping into meatballs, I’ve shaped them into burger patties and topped them with caramelized onions and mushrooms and sun-dried tomato aioli. The aroma of these burgers as they bake is a delight to the olfactory senses, and the flavour is a feast for the tastebuds. The burgers themselves are umami-rich, and the onions and mushrooms add another layer of umami and meatiness. The aioli, while optional, provides a creamy counterpoint to the deep, earthy flavours that I’ve mentioned. Not only that, but they are replete with nutrients, including omega-3s from the walnuts and protein, iron, and folate from the black lentils. 

ingredients you’ll need

For the black lentil burgers, you’ll need walnuts, cooked black/belgua lentils, oat flour, ground flax seeds, Kalamata olives, extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, celery, sea salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, chili flakes, tamari, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and basil or parsley. 

For the caramelized onions and mushrooms, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, onions, sea salt, and mushrooms (cremini or white button). 

For the sun-dried tomato aioli, you’ll need mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, and water. 

how to make hearty beluga lentil burgers

Place the walnuts in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and grind into a coarse meal. Transfer into a large bowl. Place the cooked lentils in the food processor and pulse several times, until crumbly. Stop before they become a paste. Transfer into the bowl with the walnuts. Add the oat flour, ground flax, and chopped olives. 

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, five minutes. Add the salt, pepper, chili flakes, rosemary, and thyme, followed by the tamari, balsamic, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for a few more minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan. Finally, stir in the fresh basil or parsley. Stir the contents of the skillet into the lentil mixture. Mix thoroughly to combine. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line one very large or two medium baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Form the lentil mixture into 8 large patties (or any size you like). Be sure to pack each patty firmly, as this helps ensure that the burgers hold together optimally. Place them on the baking sheet with some space in between each one so that they cook evenly. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until they are firm, crispy around the edges, and they slide off of the parchment easily without leaving any residue. 

Meanwhile, make the caramelized onions and mushrooms: Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a generous pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for fifteen minutes. During this time, the onions will soften, brown, and begin to caramelize. If they start to stick to the pan, reduce the heat slightly and add a small amount of water. After fifteen minutes, add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has evaporated off of the mushrooms and they, too, are browned. This takes an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

To make the sun-dried tomato aioli, place the mayonnaise, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and lemon in a small food processor or blender. If using a food processor, process until mostly smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. If using a blender, start on low speed and gradually increase to high until mostly smooth. Alternatively, just mix up the aioli in a bowl- it will just have more texture due to little pieces of minced sun-dried tomatoes. 

Finally, place the lentil burgers on buns and top with the caramelized onions and mushrooms and aioli, plus any other fixings you like, such as tomato and lettuce. 

Enjoy with a side of crispy oven fries- the recipe for which is coming to the blog tomorrow! 

more veggie burger recipes

• Moroccan Chickpea Burgers with Cilantro Tahini Sauce
• Beet Tempeh Veggie Burgers
• Mediterranean Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Burgers with Cashew Tzatziki (Vegan)

I hope that you love these black lentil burgers! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made. 

Enjoy! 

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Hearty Beluga Lentil Burgers with Sun-Dried Tomato Aioli

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Hearty beluga lentil burgers: Beluga (also know as black) lentils play a starring role in these hearty veggie burgers, along with walnuts, Kalamata olives, and rosemary. Topped with sun-dried tomato aioli, these burgers are a flavour bomb. Serve with crispy oven fries or a green salad!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Black Lentil Walnut Burgers

• 1 cup walnut halves
• 3 cups cooked black (beluga) lentils (see note for cooking instructions)
• ¾ cup oat flour
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup diced celery
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 ½ tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (vegan brands I like are Wizards and Whole Foods 365)
• ⅓ cup fresh basil or parsley, finely chopped

Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, sliced into rounds
• Big pinch fine sea salt
• 4 heaping cups sliced cremini or white button mushrooms (from about 20 medium mushrooms- scrub with a damp cloth to remove dirt and debris before slicing)

Sun-Dried Tomato Aioli

• ½ cup mayonnaise (vegan, if desired- I like Chosen Foods or Primal Kitchen)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

For Serving

• Buns
• Sliced tomato
• Lettuce

 

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Instructions

1. Place the walnuts in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and grind into a coarse meal. Transfer into a large bowl. Place the cooked lentils in the food processor and pulse several times, until crumbly. Stop before they become a paste. Transfer into the bowl with the walnuts. Add the oat flour, ground flax, and chopped olives.
2. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, five minutes. Add the salt, pepper, chili flakes, rosemary, and thyme, followed by the tamari, balsamic, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for a few more minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan. Finally, stir in the fresh basil or parsley. Stir the contents of the skillet into the lentil mixture. Mix thoroughly to combine.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line one very large or two medium baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Form the lentil mixture into 8 large patties (or any size you like). Be sure to pack each patty firmly, as this helps ensure that the burgers hold together optimally. Place them on the baking sheet with some space in between each one so that they cook evenly.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until they are firm, crispy around the edges, and they slide off of the parchment easily without leaving any residue.
6. Meanwhile, make the caramelized onions and mushrooms: Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a generous pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for fifteen minutes. During this time, the onions will soften, brown, and begin to caramelize. If they start to stick to the pan, reduce the heat slightly and add a small amount of water. After fifteen minutes, add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has evaporated off of the mushrooms and they, too, are browned. This takes an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
7. To make the sun-dried tomato aioli, place the mayonnaise, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and lemon in a small food processor or blender. If using a food processor, process until mostly smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. If using a blender, start on low speed and gradually increase to high until mostly smooth. Alternatively, just mix up the aioli in a bowl- it will just have more texture due to little pieces of minced sun-dried tomatoes.
8. Finally, place the lentil burgers on buns and top with the caramelized onions and mushrooms and aioli, plus any other fixings you like, such as tomato and lettuce.

Notes

To get three cups of cooked lentils, you’ll need 1 ¼ cups of dried lentils. Rinse the lentils in a fine mesh sieve and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with a few inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, or until very tender but not falling apart. Drain through a fine mesh sieve and proceed with the recipe.

If you can’t find black lentils, French green lentils or brown lentils will work in their place.

• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: North American