It’s no secret I have a special place in my heart for lentils… and can you blame me? This delicious legume is full of protein and easy to digest. Also, you can find lentils everywhere, it’s cheap, and comes in a variety of colors. Gotta love it. Lentil patties are also a great thing. Easy to make, can be freezed without a problem, and so many flavor options. This recipe is for vegan black lentil patties. Aside of the lentils, the patties have in it mushrooms, sautéed with onions, walnuts and other good things. No eggs needed, no breadcrumbs needed, a great recipe for any day of the week.

The first step is soaking the black lentils. Soaking lentils (or lengumes in general) help digesting it and promots the secretion of good enzymes. The soaking in this recipe should be long, at least 8 hours and possibly more. Soak the lentils in plenty of fresh water, preferably changing the water at least once during this time. Notice that although I definitely recommend soaking the lentils that long, there is a shortcut. You can soak the lentils for half an hour in boiling water. But – the texture of the patties will be a bit softer. At the end of the soaking time, wash the lentils well and drain excess water.

How to make vegan black lentils patties?

The black lentil patties has in it also mushrooms, that are sautéed toghether with onions. Finely mince the mushrooms and an onion. The small size will help to keep the patties stable. Sautée the onions on a pan with some olive oil for about 5 minutes. When the onions soften and become a bit transparent, add the chopped mushrooms. Season with thyme leaves, crushed garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue sauteing for another 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Ath the end, the mushrooms and onions will be soft and golden. keep aside.

In a food processor palce the black lentis (after soaking). Add walnuts, parsley, date syrup (silan)and season with salt and black pepper. Don’t add the mushroom mixture to the food processor, unless you want a very smooth texture (for exapmle if you intend to serve it to kids). Grind all the ingredients well until you get a sticky paste.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the sautéed mushrooms and onions and mix well. Of course, if you added the mushroom to the food processor you can skip that part.

Form out of the mixture flattened patties, about 5 cm/2-inch diameter. I prefer baking the vegan black lentil and mushroom patties, but you can also fry it. If baking- place it on a pan, lined with baking paper or a silicone mat and greased with a bit of olive oil. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. If youchoose to fry the patties – prefer to do it in olive oil (yes!), on a medium heat until golden.

Serve with tahini or any other dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Looking for more delicious recipes?

• Vegan sweet potato shepherd’s pie
• Farro salad with cauliflower, fennel and tahini dressing
• Vegan smoky tofu ham
• Sautéed green beans with mushrooms

Print Recipe

Vegan Black Lentil Patties with Mushrooms

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

added soaking time for the lentils8 hours hrs

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

serves: 20 patties

Ingredients:

• 1 cup black lentils
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup parsley
• 3 tbsp date syrup (silan), sub it with maple or agave syrup
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsb ground black pepper
• olive oil for oiling the baking tray

for the sautéed mushrooms and onions –

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 200 gr/ 0.5 pound fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3-4 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
• pinch of salt, pinch of ground black pepper

Instructions:

• Start with rinsing the lentils well. Then, soak the black lentils in plenty of fresh water for at least 8 hours. If possible, it will be best to change the water once ot twice during that time. After that rinse the lentils and drain excess water.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare a baking tray lined with baking paper or silicone mat and oiled with a little olive oil.
• Saute the mushrooms – heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a skillet. Add the finely chopped onions and saute, while stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly transparent and soft. Add finely chopped mushrooms, crushed garlic and thyme leaves. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Saute on a medium heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep aside.
• In a food processor, place the black lentils (after soaking, washing and draining), walnuts, parsley, date syrup (silan), 1 tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of ground black pepper. If you want the patties to be in a smooth texture (e.g for kids) add also the mushrooms mixture to the food processor, otherwise leave the mushroom mixture aside. Grind it until a sticky paste is formed. If necessary – stop occasionally the food processor to scrape the sides.

  If you didn't add the mushroom mixture to the food processor – tranfer the lentil mixture to a mixing bowl, add the sauteed mushrooms and mix well.
• Form out of the mixture flattened patties, about 5 cm/2-inch diameter. Place it on the lined baking tray and bake for about 25 minutes, till the patties are golden and firm. Serve with tahini or any other dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Although I recommand to soak the lentils for the full 8 hours, there is a shortcut for it – soak the lentils in boiling water for about half an hour. Keep in mind that this way the patties will change its texture and will be more dense, though still delicious!
• Make sure to finely mince the onion and the mushrooms – it’s important for the stability of the patties.
• The patties can be freezed easily. Prefer defrosting it in room temperature.
• If desired, it’s possible to fry the patties. Prefer to do it in olive oil, on a medium to low heat.

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
comment below or share it on instagram and tag #thehappylentils

הפוסט Vegan Black Lentil Patties with Mushrooms הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

Dreamy and VEGAN shepherd’s pie with green lentils and chestnuts as the base. I replaced the traditional potato puree with sweet potato puree and it’s soooo good. Delicious, comforting and sweet – a real celebration. This recipe has a few steps in it, but trust me – it’s so worthy.

How to make Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

This vegan sweet potato shepherd’s pie has 2 layers in it – the lentils layer as the base, and the sweet potato layer on top.

The sweet potato layer:

The first step will be cooking the sweet potatoes. There are lots of ways to cook sweet potatoes. One of my favorite methods is to roast it on a bed of coarse salt. That way, there’s no added liquid to the sweet potatoes, and all the sweet and wonderful flavors are highlighted and concentrated. The method is very simple – after thoroughly washing the sweet potatoes, brush it with some olive oil and poke it with a fork or a knife a few times. Prepare a suitable baking pan, and sprinkle cover it with coarse salt. It should be about 1/4-inch (or 0.5 cm) thick. Place the sweet potatoes on the coarse salt bed. Bake on high heat for about an hour, until very soft.

After the sweet potatoes are cooked, cool and then pill off its skin. The sweet potatoes’ skin should come off pretty easily. Place the cooked and pilled sweet potatoes in a bowl and mash them. Since they are so soft, you can easily mash them using a fork. You can also use a potato masher. To the sweet potato puree add olive oil, finely chopped parsley and season according to the recipe.

The lentils’ base:

While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, you can start making the lentils’ layer that is the base of the shepherds pie. Regarding the lentils – I always soak green (and also black) lentils for at least two hours. Soaking lentils is not mandatory, so it’s absolutely your choice whether to soak it or not. Start by briefly sautéing diced onions and celery. Add raw and finely grated sweet potato, and then the rest of the ingredients as listed in the recipe, like chestnuts, oregano, rosemary and crushed tomatoes. As for the chestnuts, I use ready to use peeled and roasted chestnuts.

Cook the lentil mixture over medium-low heat for about half an hour, with the lid closed . During cooking, the lentils will absorb all the liquids and soften. At the end of cooking, leave the lid on for a few more minutes, before moving on to the next step.

Assembling the dish :

Prepare your 8X12-inch (20X30 cm), or similar size, oven safe baking dish and grease it lightly with olive oil. Place the lentils’ layer at the bottom and smooth it. After that, layer the sweet potato puree over. You can use a fork to smooth down the puree and gently score the top a bit.

Bake the vegan sweet potato shepherd’s pie in the oven for one hour. If you desire to get a golden crush on top (and trust me – you do!), carefully take out the shepherd’s pie from the oven after 50 minutes, drizzle some olive oil on top, and return the dish to the oven for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Enjoy!

Looking for more recipes with sweet potatoes?

• Vegan Adzuki Bean, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
• Lentils and Kale Stuffed Baked Sweet Potato
• Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Spiced Chickpeas and Yogurt Dressing

Print Recipe

Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

serves: 1 8X12-inch (20X30 cm), or similar size, baking dish

Ingredients:

for the sweet potatoes puree –

• 3 medium size sweet potatoes – about 2.2 pounds/ 1 kg, well washed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

for baking the sweet potatoes –

• 1 pound/ ½ kg coarse salt
• olive oil for brushing the sweet potatoes

for the lentil layer –

• 1 cup green lentils, washed well and drained. although not mandatory – I prefer soaking the lentils for at least 2 hours
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs of celery (1 cup), chopped
• 1 small sweet potato (1 cup), pilled and grated finely
• 3½-oz / 100 gr peeled and roasted chestnuts, coarsely chopped
• 14-oz / 400 gr crushed tomatoes ot tomato puree
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 springs of fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dry oregano
• 1 sprig rosemary (1 tablespoon), chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup water

Instructions:

• starting with baking the potatoes – preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Prepare a baking pan lined with baking paper or silicone mat and sprinkle a thick layer of coarse salt on it, which will serve as a base for the sweet potatoes. Brush the sweet potatoes with some olive oil and prick them all over using a fork. Place them on the coarse salt bed, and bake for about an hour, until the sweet potatoes are very soft. Allow to cool.
• While the sweet potatoes are baking, start preparing the lentils' layer. In a wide, deep pan, heat olive oil. Add chopped onions and celery and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add finely grated sweet potatoes and chopped garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients – coarsely chopped chestnuts, crushed tomatoes (or tomato puree), oregano, rosemary, sweet paprika, salt, black pepper and one cup of water. Mix well, cover and bring to a boil. After boiling, lower to medium-low heat and cook for 25-30 minutes, until all the liquid evaporates and the lentils are soft. Leave covered for a few more minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, lightly grease a 8X12-inch (20X30 cm, or similar size) baking dish with a little olive oil.
• Prepare the sweet potato puree – remove the peel from the sweet potatoes, it should peels off quite easily. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a bowl and mash the sweet potatoes with a fork or a potato masher. Add to the mixture 2 tablespoons of olive oil, finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper and mix well.
• Assembling the dish: place the lentil stew on the bottom of the baking pan and flatten it using a fork or a spoon. Place the sweet potato puree on top of the lentils' layer and flatten it evenly. If desired, you can move a fork over the top layer and create a nice shape. Bake uncovered for an hour. If you want a nice brown crust of the top layer, carefully take the dish out of the oven after 50 minutes of baking, drizzle over some olive oil and return to the oven for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
comment below or share it on instagram and tag #thehappylentils

הפוסט Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.

So after a while that life seems as if we are living one long week that started somewhere around March, the weather here is finally changing and that brings something new to life, some change. I wont lie, COVID19 made the last few months difficult for me, as for the rest of the world obviously, and the feeling is that everything is stuck in place. And here comes the rain, and there is something new to look at and suddenly it seems that time does pass, even if nothing else has really changed.

The weather is changing, new winds are really blowing, and I understand more than ever that I have to break away from everything that is happening outside, and try to imagine and build a private world for myself. And in my private world autumn is coming, and there is excitement from all kinds of citrus fruits and an abundance of green vegetables returning to the markets. And in my private world the most urgent thing to deal with is hot stews and comforting soups and challah on Shabbat and in general lots of happy pots to gather my family around.

The first soup I chose to make is this soup – a thick and satisfying green lentil soup, with the most modest ingredients but also those that prove that you don’t need too much to make your house a home. And as the soup boiled and bubbled, a gorgeous smell spread in my home that reminded me the smell in my late grandma Fanny’s kitchen, and no one was happier than me.

The making of the soup starts with the french holy trinity (mirepoix) – onions, celery and carrots. It has mushrooms and tomatoes in it, that add depth. And just like any good soup, it must be finished with lots of green herbs and this time it’s cilantro. The cooking time here is relatively short, and in the end I really recommend mashing some of the soup, whether with a hand blender or a potato masher, which gives the soup its amazing texture. Now for the recipe:)

Crazy for soups just like me? Here are some more great options:

• White Corn and Miso Soup with Chili Oil
• Coconut Vegetable and Tofu Curry Soup
• Red Lentil and Butternut Squash with Spicy Coriander Pesto

Print Recipe

Green lentil and mushroom soup

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Soup

serves: 5

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups green lentils, washed and drained. It's not a must to soak lentils, but I usually soak them for at least two hours.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, sliced ​​into rings
• 2 celery stalks, chopped – about half a cup
• 250 gr/ ½ pound mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped – about a cup
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1½ liter/ 6 cups of water or vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cilantro – leaves only, chopped

Instructions:

• In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and sauté while stirring until transparent, about 3 minutes.
• Add sliced ​​carrots, chopped celery, chopped mushrooms, chopped garlic and the spices – cumin, turmeric and paprika. Be careful not to add salt at this point but only at the end of cooking (adding salt to legumes delays their cooking and leaves the beans stiff). Stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add to the pot the green lentils (well washed and strained of course), chopped tomatoes and water or vegetable stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat without a lid for about 35 minutes, until the lentils and all the vegetables are softened.
• Carefully remove the pot from the heat. Using a hand blender, mash some of the soup to create a thick and delicious texture. Alternatively, you can use a potato masher or mash in a blender about half of the soup. Return the soup to the stoves, add a teaspoon of salt, or more to taste, stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Stir in fresh cilantro, chopped, and serve.

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
comment below or share it on instagram and tag #thehappylentils

הפוסט Green Lentil and Mushroom Soup הופיע לראשונה ב- The Happy Lentils.