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
Vegan Black Lentil Patties with Mushrooms
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?
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Is there a way to make it without syrup? I don’t like sweet and savory together.
Great