Here’s an experiment with lentil patties that I did a few weeks ago that turned out quite well. It makes a great alternative to falafels if you’re a bit tired of the chickpea version. I must insist that you make the garlic sauce to eat along with it because it is delicious. We ate the patties with vegetables one night, but rolled them with hummus and a little garlic sauce in tortillas the next day for an easy lunch.
Lentil Patties (serves 4-6)
1/2 pound lentils
4 carrots, peeled
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
2 Tablespoons flour
Japanese breadcrumbs for coating
Canola oil for frying
Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the lentils and whole carrots. Simmer until the carrots are cooked. Remove the carrots and set them aside, while continuing to cook the lentils. When the lentils are cooked, which should take about 25 minutes in all, pour them through a strain and transfer to a mixing bowl. Mash the cooked carrots and add to the lentils along with the parmesan, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, egg and flour. Mix thoroughly, then allow to cook completely in the refrigerator. When1 it has cooled, form it into patties of the desired size, and coat the patties as well as you can with the Japanese breadcrumbs. Heat about 1/4-inch of oil in a large skillet. Fry the patties until golden brown and crispy on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Drain of the excess oil on paper towels and serve immediately.
Creamy Garlic Sauce
1 medium onion
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 to 1-1/2 cups canola oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
Salt and white pepper, to taste
Peel the onion, cut it in half and cook it in boiling water for about 4 minutes, until it has softened a bit. Drain and set aside to cool.
Now, place the cooled onion and garlic in a blender. Turn it on medium speed and let it process until the onion and garlic are pureed. Increase the blender speed and continue to blend while you slowly drizzle the canola oil through the top of the blender. Keep adding oil until it reaches the desired consistency. Less oil will make it thicker, more will make it thinner. Add the lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and process for another few seconds. Transfer to a container and chill until ready to use.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I’m also in love with falafel balls. Do you have a recipe for those?
@chaucee sure. http://www.sweetfineday.com/2011/03/falafel/
These look delicious! I’m definitely pinning this so I can remember to make it next week 🙂
sounds delicious! I’ve never heard of nutritional yeast (?) which must be different than what we think of as bread yeast?
i’ve only heard of nutritional yeast but have never used it – is it something that’s necessary to this recipe or can it be left out?
i jumped right to the creamy garlic sauce. ha! i bet it would be good on so many things, but i’ll try it on the lentil patties first 🙂
also, i just had a cup of hazelnut coffee with one of your chocolate marshmallows thrown in. divine!
Thanks for sharing. We will be trying this for sure!
Mark, looking forward to trying this recipe and having a nice pita sandwich.
@Kay & @Benson, it’s different from bread yeast. Nutritional yeast is a nice option for replacing cheese in recipes – it has a very mild, slightly nutty flavor. A lot of vegans eat it to get their B-12 vitamins. I’ve personally also used this in sandwiches and tastes great on popcorn.
These look awesome! I have loved lentils ever since I lived in Azerbaijan and I am always looking for new ways to prepare tham!
Your making me hungry! Yum!!!
Oh my! Those look delish! I am going to make them this week!
These look great and very healthy (nutritional yeast?!) so will definitely be making them next week!
Fantastic idea to make lentil patties! And what about that creamy garlic sauce? I find myself drooling only by typing this! Thanks for sharing;)
from a 24 year old who has no cooking skills what so ever this actually made me excited to get in the kitchen and try this. It seems within my grasp.
Thanks!
what colour lentils do you use, red or brown?
Hi Marc and Jenna,
I made these tonight and they were good. The panko really gave it a nice crunch. I’ve cut out meat recently and am enjoying the recipes on the blog. This was my first time making a vegetarian patty-type dish. I realize that the panko and oil form in to a crust that is essential for keeping the lentil mixture together.
Many thanks from a newbie vegetarian!
I love how crisp they look – I’ve been after a lentil patty recipe which won’t fall apart easily and it looks like this is just what I’m after.
The sauce sounds just amazing, I love that there’s a whole pureed onion in there!
I love this recipe (and your blog!!!) and can’t wait to make it – my kids are allergic to dairy, so I’d like to omit the parmesan. Do you know if I should sub the same amount of nutritional yeast for it (1/3 c.)?
@Lily, I used brown lentils for this recipe.
@Omi, I would just omit the parmesan rather than substitute anything for it. Perhaps adding a little extra nutritional yeast would help the flavor , but 1/3 cup might be too much. Try 2 Tablespoons.
is the cheese nesc or can it just be left out?