These healthy Imam Bayildi Lentil Burgers make a delicious satisfying lunch both vegetarians/vegans as well as omnivores will love!
Grilling is a great way of preparing food during warmer months. And although the weather hasn’t been too kind recently I’ve decided it’s time to make burgers. The plan was to make them outside (or rather grill the eggplant outside), but it turned a bit rainy. So my Imam Bayildi Lentil Burgers had to be cooked inside with the help of my trusty griddle pan.
I like the occasional chicken or fish burger but veggie burgers are probably at the top of my favourite burger list. There are so many possibilities when it comes to vegetables!
You can try to replicate a meat burger recipe by chopping, mincing and shaping vegetarian ingredients into round patties, but this is often labour intensive. So in this burger recipe I grilled slices of eggplant (often considered a ‘meaty’ vegetable) and made a rich, tangy and filling stew to go with it. This healthy, delicious recipe is super easy to make and it’s vegan, too!
Imam bayildi
In the traditional Imam Bayildi recipe the eggplant is filled with a tomato, onion and parsley mixture and then oven baked. It is a lovely vegetarian dish, usually made with a generous amount of oil and served with lots of crusty bread for dipping in the sauce. My vegetable mixture is made without the eggplant, which is grilled separately, and without too much oil either. So the recipe is lean and comes together in about 30 minutes.
It’s not only delicious, but healthy and easy to make too!
Veggie burgers with lentils
I have also used Puy lentils (not a traditional Imam Bayildi ingredient) to add more substance and protein to the sauce. Puy lentils have a lovely slightly peppery flavour and, unlike other lentils, keep their shape during cooking. If you’ve never used them before they can sometimes be tricky to identify in the supermarket as they are often labelled ‘green lentils’ (along with other types of green lentils, which are not Puy lentils). So if you are looking at small, roundish grey-green lentils that have been imported from France chances are they are not just green lentils, as the label says. They might be Puy lentils, grown in the Le Puy region of France (hence the name).
Use your favourite burger buns and enjoy these healthy Imam Bayildi Lentil Burgers! They won’t leave you hungry:)
These healthy Imam Bayildi Lentil Burgers make a delicious satisfying lunch both vegetarians/vegans as well as omnivores will love!
- 1-2 large eggplants
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 4 medium tomatoes finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped
- 1/3 cup Puy lentils rinsed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil plus 2-3 more for brushing the aubergine
- 4 tablespoons parsley finely chopped (discard the tough stems)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 whole allspice
- Cinnamon and cayenne pepper for seasoning the aubergine
- Salt and pepper to taste
-
In a saucepan heat up 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add the garlic, onion, allspice and bay leaf, stir, lower the heat and fry for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-
Add the lentils, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, stir, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the parsley towards the end of the cooking. (If the mixture is not thick enough cook it uncovered over a high heat for 3 extra minutes, stirring often)
-
While the stew is cooking prepare the aubergine. Cut it widthways into 1 cm thick slices. Heat up a griddle pan. Brush both sides of the aubergine slices with the oil. Season with a little cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Place in the griddle pan, press gently and grill over a low heat for about 5 minutes on each side (be careful not to burn the aubergine).
-
To serve use 1-2 (or more) aubergine slices and a generous helping of the stew with a bun of your choice.
-
Makes approximately 6 large burgers.
Pin Imam Bayildi Lentil Burgers!
MORE EASY, HEALTHY MEAL IDEAS
Here you will find all my easy meal recipe ideas in one place. Or you can browse the different categories: chicken, turkey, fish and vegetarian/vegan. The categories also include gluten free and dairy free options.
KEEP IN TOUCH!
If you like this blog you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipes! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right into your mailbox!
RECIPE LINK PARTIES
I shared this Imam Bayildi Lentil Burgers recipe with #CookBlogShare, Brilliant Blog Posts, Meat Free Mondays and Fiesta Friday.
They look great, a bit like modern sloppy joes. Thanks so much for submitting them to Meat Free Mondays. I loved them so much I featured it this week. The roundup is now live.
What a great take on a veggie burger!
Thank you! Glad you like this idea:)
I just had eggplants few minutes ago, but I think I’d love another eggplant dish. This looks really fabulous, Monika. I could have this everyday. Thank you for linking up to this week’s Fiesta Friday party.
Thank you Jhuls, I love eggplant dishes too:)
Monika what a fab idea! I was intrigued to know how you made a burger out of imam bayildi – something I would never have considered! ? Recipe still sounds authentic though so ?from me☺ I think we’ll try this soon… thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday ☺
Thank you! So glad you like the recipe, I was trying to stick to the imam bayildi idea as much as possible.
Oh yummy, adore this. Imam Bayildi is a fave of mine x
Thank you! Glad you like the recipe:)
Love the idea of having grilled aubergine in place of meat burger! And the puy lentils stew… I wouldn’t mind having it on its own with a side of basmati rice 🙂 Beautiful dish!
Thank you! The beauty of vegetable recipes is that you can enjoy them in so many ways. Thanks for stopping by:)
What a lovely alternative to the traditional veggie burger – I love aubergines and puy lentils, so I am pretty sure I would really love these! Thanks for linking it up to #CookBlogShare 🙂 Eb x
Thank you! So glad you like the recipe:)
These sound amazing – I love lentils and aubergine. It’s sort of like a veggie sloppy Joe!
Thanks! Yes, it is a bit like that:)
This sounds amazing Monika – what a brilliant idea! I would be so happy with this as a veggie option.
Thanks Mandy! I’ve been eating mostly vegetarian food lately and this was great for lunch the other day.
I could have this all day…Just beautiful!
Thank you! So glad you like the recipe:)