I have to confess, before creating these patties I hadn’t cooked many (if any?) lentil dishes from scratch!
I like my recipes to be quick and easy, so ready to use lentils (i.e. the ones that come in a can) were as far as I got, like in this Roast Pumpkin & Lentil Salad with Lemon Chilli Dressing.
Had I know how easy they were to cook, especially the red kind which only take 10 minutes, I would have started a lot sooner!
Lentils are a fantastic source of plant based protein and fibre, as well as folic acid, iron and magnesium. Being a plant, they’re also naturally also full of antioxidants and phytonutrients – so all round quite a fabulous little legume.
Red lentils are the seeds from legume plants that split in half after hulling. As such they don’t take long to cook and turn into a thick paste when done. This makes them idea for soups, curry’s and patties!
My aim for this recipe was to make plant based patties that are so delicious AND nutritious, you can easily eat them on their own. So I crammed in as many extra veggies as I could such as zucchini, sweet potato and carrot, then added some of my favourite spices to give them a middle eastern flavour reminiscent of falafel.
Because these sesame & red lentil patties are so delicious on their own, they make perfect finger food when you need a quick snack or are entertaining guests. Equally, add these little patties to your favourite nourish bowl for a delicious lunch or dinner, or make the patties slightly larger and turn them into burgers!
If you make these sesame & red lentil patties, let me know!
Leave a comment below, and be sure to tag any pictures you share #swoonfood @swoon.food so I can come and admire them. Enjoy!
SESAME & RED LENTIL PATTIES
Makes: 12 patties
Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes
1/2 cup red lentils
250g sweet potato (approx. 1 medium red or orange sweet potato)
2 tsp avocado, macadamia or coconut oil
1 red onion
2 coves garlic
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sumac
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch cayenne pepper
pink Himalayan salt + black pepper to taste
1/2 cup white sesame seeds
1/2 cup black sesame seeds
To serve:
Sauerkraut
Salad Greens
Your favourite dressing (see below for mine) or hummus
Place the lentils into a pan and add 1 1/2 cups water. Peel the sweet potato and cut into 2 cm chunks then add to the pan of lentils.
Cover with a lid and place the pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the lentils have softened and you can crush the sweet potato with a fork.
Pour the lentil and sweet potato mixture into a fine sieve and allow the liquid to drain out.
While the lentil mixture is cooking, peel and chop the onion into small pieces. Heat the oil in a small fry pan and add cook the onion until soft – about 5 minutes or so.
Peel the garlic, mince with a garlic press and add to the onions. Cook for another minute or so and then turn off the heat.
Peel and grate the carrot and zucchini and add to a mixing bowl along with drained lentil mixture, the onion mixture, nutritional yeast and spices. Use a fork to crush the sweet potatoes and mix everything together.
Preheat the oven to 180C fan bake.
Shape the mixture into 12 patties then combine the sesame seeds on a plate and dip each patty so they’re nicely coated.
Place the patties on the lined oven tray and into the centre of the oven to bake for 40minutes. The patties are ready when the sesame seeds turn a light golden colour.
Serve the patties with a large green salad, your favourite dressing, and a side of sauerkraut. They also make fantastic burger patties, in which case shape them into 8 larger patties before cooking.
These patties will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days and make a great leftover breakfast or lunch the next day.
My Favourite 2 Minute Dressing:
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp tahini
pink Himalayan salt + black pepper
Combine the ingredients in a jar and shake well.
