Veggie burgers can be tricky.

Getting a patty that…1. isn’t a hot mushy un-burger-esque mess 2. won’t crumble and fall apart as soon as you pick it up and 3. doesn’t disappoint the ol’ taste buds, is a fine art as far as I’m concerned.

Good news is that this one check, check, checkity, checks all the “what a good veggie burger should be” boxes.

Besides being satisfying, healthy, deliciously flavorful and the type of veggie burg that holds-together-nicely, this fancy patty has gotten high praise from some heavy-hittin’ carnivores.

Here’s what they said…

“It tastes like the REAL thing.”

“Damn that’s good!”

“Got any more?”

And that’s how you know you nailed it.

The meaty-ness of the shrooms, the hearty-ness of the lentils and the char-grilly-ness of the liquid smoke give these bad boys all the flavors and textures that every great burger should have!

And can we talk about toppings for just a sec?

Sure, You could layer on the classics: lettuce, tomato, ketchup & pickles, and that would be good.

OR OR OR you could sink your teeth into something slightly more swanky and top it off with caramelized onions and roasted red pepper aioli.

SWOON! A veggie burger like no other…

Portobello Lentil Burgers w/ Caramelized Onion and Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

For the Burgers:

• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (flaxmeal)
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups Portobello mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup cooked lentils
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos (or tamari)
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• ½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. To make the flax “egg”, combine the flax meal and water in a small bowl and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
3. Heat coconut oil in pan on medium-high heat. When shimmering, add the onion, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until tender 7 to 10 minutes.
4. In a food processor, combine the mushroom mixture with the cooked lentils and pulse until the mixture is chunky or about 75% blended – this will give the burgers a bit of texture.
5. Transfer the mushroom and lentil mixture to a large bowl and stir in the prepared flax “egg” and the remaining ingredients.
6. Using hands, form mixture into six 1” thick patties and transfer to baking sheet.
7. Bake for 35 minutes, flipping half-way through.
8. Enjoy or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

EXTRA TIME SAVER TIP: Make the mixture on Sunday night and have them ready to go for a quick after work meal during the week.

ALTERNATIVE COOKING METHOD: You can also freeze or refrigerate the formed patties for 20 minutes prior to cooking. Then pan-fry in avocado or coconut oil – over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side.

For the Caramelized Onion:

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or any high-heat oil)
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons white wine (optional)
• Sea salt

1. Coat a large pan with avocado oil and heat over medium heat, until shimmering.
2. Add the onion and stir occasionally. At the 10 minute mark, season with a sprinkle of sea salt.
3. Continue to cook, stirring every few minutes until the onions begin to caramelize – about 20 minutes more. If the onions begin to burn, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low.
4. Stir in the wine (if using) one tablespoon at a time. Cook until wine is burned off and onions are caramelized, 5 minutes more.
5. Remove from heat until ready to serve.

For the Roasted Red Pepper Aioli:

• 1.5 cups of roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
• ½ cup of raw cashews (soaked overnight or up to four hours and drained)
• ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Add all ingredients to food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth.

I know this recipe – start to finish – takes a little more time to prep than most of my recipes, BUT believe me when I tell you that they’re worth every minute.

You should 1000% make them. Then serve em’ with 1800 pounds of my sweet potato fries and a few bottles glasses of vino.

And don’t forget to let me know how much you LOVED these burgers down in the comments below.

xo