This mushroom and lentil burger is a delicious veggie burger option: with the perfect texture that combines brown lentils, mushrooms, sunflower seeds and rolled oats. Topped with a sweet and tangy tomato bruschetta topping, these are perfect for summer!
We don't like boring burgers around here: just like our southwestern grilled turkey burgers and Greek turkey burgers, this mushroom and lentil burger recipe is packed with flavor!
If you are sick of soft, texture-less veggie burgers, you're going to love this recipe! It took some experimentation, but with the right combination of rolled oats, panko breadcrumbs and sunflower seeds, these burgers have the perfect structure and an appealing texture.
They also happen to be simple to prep, easy to cook, and full of delicious summery flavor.
Reasons you'll ♡ this mushroom lentil burger
- it is an easy vegetarian meal
- the texture is amazing!
- you can cook it on the grill
- it only takes 3o minutes to make
The burger base
This burger starts with cooked brown lentils. I used canned lentils, but if you have dried lentils, you will need to cook them first (find directions here). Note that red lentils will not work in this recipe and other varieties have not been tested.
In addition to brown lentils, we are adding mushrooms, which brings umami and bulks out the burgers, sunflower sees, which bring texture, and rolled oats, which help bring structure and much-needed texture to the burgers. Without the rolled oats and sunflower seeds, these burgers have a delicious flavor, but the texture of mashed potatoes!
Building flavor
To build out the flavors of the burger, in addition to the umami-rich mushrooms, we are adding in Worcestershire sauce, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Together, these ingredients give the burgers flavor depth and dimension.
Toppings
To give these burgers a distinctive 'bruschetta' flavor, we add a topping that is heavy on the tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic.
Consider these toppings completely optional, adding your own favorite toppings as you'd like. I will note that these small toppings make for a messy burger, so you could swap in favor of tomato slices, whole basil leaves and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
Storage + make-ahead tips
If you'd like, you could make the burger patties ahead and store in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to cook them up:
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days (separate with wax or parchment paper)
- Freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to a reusable bag and freeze for up to 3 months
- Cooked burgers may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Reheat in a frying pan over medium heat until warmed back through
More Meatless Meals
- Hearty Lentil Soup
- Easy Red Lentil Dal Recipe
- Southwestern Sweet Potato and Lentil Jar Salads
- Vegan Bolognese
- Vegan Crockpot Chili (Freezer)
Mushroom Lentil Bruschetta Burger
Ingredients
Mushroom and Lentil Veggie Burgers:
- 3.5 oz mushrooms 100g, 6 average cremini
- 1 cup brown lentils canned, drained and rinsed; see note 1
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup Panko see note 2
- 2 eggs
- 4 mozzarella sliced
Bruschetta:
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons red onion minced
- ¼ cup fresh basil torn
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Other:
- 4 gourmet burger buns
Instructions
- Spread out a couple of paper towels and arrange the lentils and mushrooms on top. Allow to dry for 10 minutes.
- Place the mushrooms, lentils, garlic, worcestershire, salt, balsamic vinegar, and sunflower seeds in the base of a food processor, and pulse 10 times. Scrape down the sides of the processor, add the rolled oats and pulse 5 more times (or until it looks like the photo above).
- Scrape the contents of the food processor into a large bowl. Stir in the panko and eggs.
- Form ⅓ cup patties about 1 inch thick. Cook in a non-stick frying pan for 4 minutes, then flip. Cook for 2 more minutes, then place a slice of mozzarella on top and cook for another 2 or so minutes, until cheese is melted and burger is cooked through.
- Bruschetta Stir together all bruschetta ingredients and set aside.
