Oaktown Spice Veggie Burger Recipe

Oaktown Spice Shop is one of our Farmers + Food Crafters. We rely on them for many of our spices that you enjoy in your meals. This recipe is from Oaktown, with a few little changes of our own.

Makes about 8-12

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons Eastern Mediterranean Spice
1 cup red lentils
4 cups water
1 cup fine-ground bulgur (#1)
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Toppings:
2 cup baby spinach
4 avocados, peeled and sliced
pickled red onions (if you want to make your own, we like this recipe)
Tzatiki sauce (again, if you want to make your own, we like this vegan recipe)

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
Add the onion and carrot and cook over moderate heat, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and spices, then add the lentils and water and bring to a boil.
Simmer over moderate heat until the lentils are tender and have absorbed about three-fourths of the liquid, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the bulgur and remove from the heat. Let stand until the liquid is absorbed and the bulgur is softened, about 20 minutes.
Taste and add more salt if desired.
Pulse mixture in a food processor until it’s tacky.
Form burger-sized balls. Flatten with hand.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in pan.
Cook in batches, pan-frying for 4 minutes per side. Add more oil to pan as needed.

Use our suggested toppings or add your own.