TL/DR – Lentil Hamburger Sliders. These Lentil Hamburger Sliders are packed with flavor–fresh oregano and dill, garlic, cumin, sesame seeds–whaaaat? Serve them with an easy dill-feta sauce that is both tangy and creamy.
These sliders were originally intended to be served in a pita pocket, but when I developed the recipe the COVID-19 crisis caused a rush on purchasing pita bread and there was none to be found. Being a very lazy baker, I chose to make them into lettuce wraps, which quickly became my preferred serving method.
Combine the patty ingredients in a bowl and mix everything well, then form any size patty you desire. Be sure to press the canned lentils in the strainer to ensure well-drained lentils. One helpful tip for grilling: spray the cold grill with nonstick spray before pre-heating it, then spray the slider patties directly with cooking spray before placing them on the grill. That way the lentils won’t stick.
While the patties grill, combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Also wash butter or Boston lettuce leaves and pat dry for serving. As you flip and then remove the patties from the grill, be gentle. They should definitely not fall apart, but they will not be as sturdy as an all-beef patty.
Serve them in pita pockets or as lettuce wraps with a generous amount of dill-feta sauce.
Lentil Hamburger Sliders
Ingredients
- For the sliders:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 14.75 oz can lentils, drained well
- 3 T fresh oregano, finely minced
- 3 T fresh dill, finely minced
- 1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane
- 1 T sesame seeds
- 1 t cumin
- 3/4 t kosher salt
- 1/4 t pepper
- For the sauce:
- 1/2 c buttermilk
- 1/2 c mayonnaise
- 2T lemon juice
- 2T dill, finely minced
- 1/4 t kosher salt
- 1/8 t pepper
- 3/4 c crumbled feta cheese
- For serving:
- Pita bread or butter lettuce leaves
- Radish or cucumber, very thinly sliced
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the grill to 350 degrees F.
- Step 2 Combine all of the slider ingredients into a bowl and mix well using hands.
- Step 3 Form several 3 to 4 inch sliders and place them on a plate in one layer.
- Step 4 Spray the sliders evenly with a good layer of nonstick cooking spray, then place on the grill spray-side down.
- Step 5 Grill for about 4 minutes on each side until they are cooked through.
- Step 6 While sliders are grilling, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and either lightly toast the pita bread or wash the butter lettuce leaves and pat dry.
- Step 7 Serve as pita sandwiches with 2 patties in each or as lettuce wraps, with one slider per lettuce leaf and a generous amount of sauce.
