Leanne Brown provided this recipe for cheaper, healthier burgers, from her cookbook Good and Cheap. She notes that you can substitute almost any vegetable for the bell pepper in these burgers, except for watery vegetables like tomato or cucumber.
Ingredients
Serves 8
- 3 cups cooked lentils or beans
- 1 cup finely chopped bell pepper or other vegetable
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 egg (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 buns
Instructions
- Roughly mash the lentils or beans with the back of a large spoon.
- Mix the lentils, bell pepper, and ground beef with your hands in a large bowl. If you’re grilling, add an egg to keep the patties from crumbling. Season with salt and pepper and form into 8 patties.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat (or fire up the grill, if you have one), and add the patties. Sear them until they’re dark brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then flip them and do the same on the other side. If you want cheeseburgers, lay cheese on the patties after flipping them once.
- Serve on toasted buns with your favorite condiments and fresh vegetables. Burgers are a great place to be adventurous!