Lentil Falafel Burger Recipe with Creamy Feta Sauce
Busy weeknights need quick, wholesome, and filling meals, like my lentil falafel burger with creamy feta sauce. And despite its fancy-sounding name, I can have it ready for dinner in just 1 hour. I use lentils, chickpeas, and sweet potato for my patties, which cook up to a golden finish and are topped with a velvety feta sauce.
Servings: 4 patties
Calories: 363.5kcal
Equipment
- NonStick Skillet
Ingredients
For the Burgers:
- ⅓ cup dry black beluga lentils or green lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- ½ medium sweet potato peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 4 cups water
- ½ small red onion finely chopped
- 1 large egg or 1 flax egg
- ⅔ cup whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs or oat flour
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 4 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground sumac optional
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Nonstick pan spray
For the Toppings/Burger Buns:
- 4 whole wheat or sprouted wheat burger buns
- 2-3 vine-ripened tomatoes cored and thinly sliced
- Sliced cucumber
- Diced red onions
- Fresh baby spinach
For the Feta-Mint-Yogurt Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Instructions
Make the burgers:
- In a medium pot, add the lentils, sweet potato and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer until the lentils and potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the mixture.
- Transfer the lentil mixture to a food processor. To the lentil mixture, add the onion, egg, panko breadcrumbs through salt and pepper. Pulse until coarsely chopped, about five 1-second pulses.
- Shape the mixture into four 4- to 4½-inch patties, each about ½ inch thick.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat the skillet with nonstick pan spray and add two of the lentil burgers. Cook until the burgers are browned, 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a large plate and repeat with the remaining patties.
Make the sauce:
- To a medium bowl, add the feta cheese, then use a fork to crumble it. Stir in the yogurt and mint.
- Place a lentil burger on 4 burger bottoms, top each with some of the feta sauce and your veggies. Top with the remaining burger buns. Serve immediately.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this lentil falafel burger recipe with feta sauce is to drain the cooked lentils and canned chickpeas very well. Extra moisture can make patties soft and difficult to flip. I give the lentils a few minutes on a paper towel and allow them to dry before adding them to the processor.
- Blot with a paper towel: After pan frying, I rest my patties on a few pieces of a kitchen towel to blot up any excess oil.
- Chiffonade mint: To keep the color of the mint bright, I chiffonade the leaves instead of chopping them. This type of cut gives me fine ribbons of mint, which remain green.
- Save the cooking liquid: I keep the cooking liquid and use it the next day as a base for a lentil curry or soup.
- Chill mix: I chill the mixture for 15 minutes before shaping or frying if it seems too soft to manage.
- Preheat pan: I like my pan to be hot before adding the patties. This way, I get a good sear and a golden crust.
Nutrition
Serving: 1burger + bun | Calories: 363.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 60.6g | Protein: 18.2g | Fat: 8.3g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Cholesterol: 55.1mg | Sodium: 1406.1mg | Potassium: 243.4mg | Fiber: 11.4g | Sugar: 3.8g