Sweet Potato Lentil Turmeric Burgers

This recipe was created with nutrition in mind. My friend Brigitte Zeitlin from BZ Nutrition is a registered dietitian in NYC and has approved this recipe.

I hadn’t seen many veggie burgers around that use lentils and wanted to incorporate them into this recipe because lentils are high in fiber and high in protein. They also are a great source of folate, zinc, manganese and potassium. The recipe uses spices such as turmeric for anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant benefits and sumac, a middle eastern spice, to help flavor the burgers without adding too much salt. I made these burgers for Brigitte this past week and she loved them! We both loved that they satiated us without making us feeling overly stuffed. I hope you enjoy them too!

I N G R E D I E N T S (makes 6 large patties or 10 smaller patties)

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 small garlic cloves, chopped (or 1-2 large cloves)
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1 15-oz can lentils, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup sweet potato, mashed
1 egg
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sumac
1 tsp fresh black pepper

I N S T R U C T I O N S

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Blend together first 4 ingredients in a large food processor. Use a spatula in between pulses to scrape down the sides. Pulse until herbs are finely chopped.
Add in flax meal, sweet potato mash, lentils, egg and all the spices and pulse until well combined, scraping down edges in between.
Use an ice cream scooper (or a 1/2 cup measure) to form patties and place them on the parchment paper. They will not be uniformed patties and will look more like blobs of batter. Do not worry.
Cook burgers for 25 minutes. Flip burgers carefully and flatten gently using spatula to form round shaped patties.
Place back into the oven for another 25 minutes.
Enjoy right away stuffed in between a toasted bun or a toasted tortilla with avocado, roasted peppers, herbs, beets, tomatoes, lettuce, etc…get creative with the toppings!
If not eating right away store them in air-tight container. Enjoy within 4 days or freeze with parchment paper in between burgers. The burgers will last about a 3 weeks in the freezer.