Lentil & Beetroot Burgers

Name: Lentil & Beetroot Burger
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 largish beetroot, peeled &amp; cut into quarters or 250g can beetroot; 1 small red onion, peeled &amp; cut in half; 2 garlic cloves; 1 small red chilli - optional; 400g canned lentils, rinsed and drained; 3 tsp curry powder; 1-2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp turmeric; ¼ tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp minced ginger; 6 tbsp ground flaxseed or ½ cup rolled oats; ¼ cup sunflower seeds; 4 brioche burger buns; Mashed avocado or guacamole; Sweet potato &amp; cashew dip; Sun-dried tomatoes; Fresh pineapple, peeled &amp; thinly sliced; Fried Halloumi slices; Balsamic onion jam; Purple cabbage, finely shredded

RSS

Can you really enjoy a burger with metallic taste, loss of taste, bland taste, dry mouth & throat, anosmia, perhaps even parosmia?

Yes indeedy, you can!

We love this recipe and feel sure it will become one of your favourites too. We have a whole list of tweaks that will make this burger side-effect friendly.

So, plan a burger night with the family or have some friends around because burgers ARE back on the menu!

Lentil & Beetroot Burger

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Servings

4

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Author

Centre For Cancer Nutrition

So, I will address the elephant in the room first - the list of ingredients does look long. But this recipe can be made with just the basics or really jazzed up to suit your side-effects. Just play it by ear.

If you need some help, watch the accompanying video where I explain what this all means ;) (Video coming soon)

See recipe notes below for specific side-effect tweaks - these include anosmia and parosmia for anyone experiencing these post-Covid.

Ingredients

Burgers

1 largish beetroot, peeled & cut into quarters or 250g can beetroot
1 small red onion, peeled & cut in half
2 garlic cloves
1 small red chilli - optional
400g canned lentils, rinsed and drained
3 tsp curry powder
1-2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp minced ginger
6 tbsp ground flaxseed or ½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup sunflower seeds
4 brioche burger buns

Toppings - anything you fancy really but here are some suggestions

Mashed avocado or guacamole
Sweet potato & cashew dip
Sun-dried tomatoes
Fresh pineapple, peeled & thinly sliced
Fried Halloumi slices
Balsamic onion jam
Purple cabbage, finely shredded

Directions

Pop the beetroot and onion into a food processor* and blitz until very roughly chopped.
Add the remaining burger ingredients, except the sunflower seeds and blitz again until combined-ish (it's a made-up word, go with it). You want a bit of texture left in the burgers. Stir through the sunflower seeds. Add a little water if the mixture is too dry or a little flour or ground flaxseed if the mixture is too wet.
Using wet hands, take some mixture and form it into a burger patty shape.
Add some oil to a frying pan over a medium low heat and pan fry until crisp on the outside and warmed all the way through. This will probably take about 5 minutes each side.
Serve in brioche buns with everything that takes your fancy.

Recipe Note

For dry mouth & throat: Add some mashed avocado to the burger ingredients to keep the inside of the patties extra moist. Use copious amounts of dip, guacamole, plain Greek yoghurt on top of the burger.

Loss of taste, loss of smell, bland taste, and anosmia: really don't go to town and blend the patties smooth in the blender. Take your finger off the button early to keep as much texture in the burgers as possible. Use chilli or Sriracha in the burger mix to give the mouth some excitement. Add the sunflower seeds whole after blending the other burger ingredients. Add chopped up tamari almonds onto of the burger for extra texture. Use a tablespoon of red miso in the burger mix to increase the flavour. And definitely use the sun-dried tomatoes on top for the same reason.

For parosmia: Hopefully many of the ingredients will be on your safe food list but definitely leave out the onion and garlic. Watch out for hidden onion and garlic if using any dips as toppings.

*Use a box grater if you don't have access to a food processor. If using tinned beetroot, cut up finely and them mash with a fork. Mix everything in a bowl and smoosh together with your hands.