Sweet Potato Lentil Burgers

Curried spiced sweet potato lentil burgers are going to become a staple at my house! These burgers come together so easily, and get super crispy when baked in the oven, certainly nothing like “health food” in my mind! These sweet potato lentil burgers are vegan, gluten free, and packed with protein from the lentils, hemp hearts, and quinoa! They are very filling and keep well in the fridge for the entire week!

When I decided to become vegetarian at 13, I had no idea how to cook vegetarian food and relied heavily on Boca burgers and vegetarian “chicken” nuggets and such if I was looking for something to eat outside of my pasta and pizza obsession. I often joke that I became a pasta-terrian when I stopped eating meat, because wow I ate a lot of pasta! Needless to say, as I gained confidence in the kitchen, I started experimenting with new flavors, ingredients and, cooking methods. Recently I’ve been dabbling in making my own veggie burgers.

I try to eat as wholesome as possible. The easiest way for me to do this is to make my food at home. While there are some great companies out there that make plant based burgers, I’ve found that these burgers can be expensive and don’t always have the protein in them that I’m craving. Plus what’s more fun than spending a few minutes playing with your food in the kitchen! Forming these burgers is a cinch and they just need 25-30 minutes in the oven and you have food for the week! I’m a stickler for wanting to know whats in my food and since they’re so easy to make and light on my pocketbook I’ll be making these often.

Red lentils are quick cooking and full of fiber and protein! Red lentils are ready in about 15 minutes and can be a bit mushy if they get overcooked, which is fine in this recipe. I always have 2-3 roasted sweet potatoes hanging out in my kitchen, as I make a batch of them every Sunday. Having them on hand makes for an easy healthy side dish or allows me to throw together healthy snacks like my sweet potato protein bites. Quinoa, which is a seed not a grain, is full of protein and is great for vegans (and non-vegans as well) since it has all 9 essential amino acids and iron! I like to use quinoa over rice when I can since it has these benefits.

Smoky paprika, sweet garam marsala, and slightly spicy curry. These flavors pair so well with red lentils and sweet potatoes, I could eat a bowl of this on it’s own pretty much anytime! I love how the sweet potato balances out the spice in the curry powder and elevates the smokey paprika flavor. Have you tried garam marsala before? It’s such a sweet mixture of spices and the smell is heavenly. I like to add a little green in my burgers as well, and cilantro pairs perfectly with curry and sweet potatoes! If you are not a cilantro fan, you can omit this from the recipe. Garam marsala also pairs well with pumpkin, check out this Pumpkin Coconut Soup.

These burgers are very versitle! You can have them in a pita (my favorite way) with cucumber, avocado, and even a vegan version of vegetable raita! I made my raita with cashew cheese, cucumber, and cumin powder. It was seriously so good! Dave enjoyed his burger on a gluten free bagel with tomato, lettuce and mustard. You know these are good when the meat eater in the family even enjoys them!!

What about you?

• Have you tried garam marsala before?
• Have you made your own veggie burgers before? What flavor?
• Were you ever vegan or vegetarian? What about Meatless Monday?

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