Transform your health with our #1-rated Forks Meal Planner. Click here to try it FREE for 14 days!

Lebanese Lentil Burgers in Cabbage Pockets

  • Prep-time: / Ready In:
  • Makes 12 burgers
  • Serving size: 1 burger
  • Print/save recipe

These hearty lentil burgers are flavored with ras el hanout, a North African blend of spices including cumin, ginger, coriander, and allspice, that will tantalize your taste buds. The patties also feature potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and onions to sneak in an extra serving of veggies and ensure the burgers don’t fall apart when baked. Instead of sandwiching each patty between buns, these are served on a bed of crisp cabbage for a fresh twist on a cookout classic. Top each serving with fresh cucumber slices, a sprinkling of parsley, and a homemade tahini sauce for a Middle Eastern–inspired meal that’s guaranteed to hit the spot. 

Tip: Not sure where to buy ras el hanout? Look for it in your grocer’s spice aisle, or you can make your own homemade version with this ras el hanout recipe.

For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:

By Darshana Thacker Wendel,

Ingredients

  • 4 cups finely chopped potatoes
  • 2 cups finely chopped onions
  • 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 7 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup dry brown lentils
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon ras el hanout seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ cup chickpea flour
  • ½ cup tahini
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 large romaine lettuce leaves, torn
  • 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 12 large purple or green cabbage leaves, trimmed into 4-inch-diameter cups

Instructions

  • In a large skillet combine potatoes, onions, bell pepper, carrots, six of the minced garlic cloves, and ¼ cup water. Cook over medium 15 minutes or until potatoes are just tender.
  • Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine lentils and 3 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain any remaining water.
  • Add lentils, parsley, ra el hanout, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to skillet. Mix well. Season with salt. Cook over medium 10 minutes or until all liquid has cooked off, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let cool 10 minutes. Stir in chickpea flour.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Shape mixture into 12 patties, using ½ cup mixture per patty. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake on middle rack in oven 40 to 50 minutes or until burgers are browned.
  • For Tahini Sauce, in a blender combine tahini, ¼ cup lemon juice, the remaining garlic, and ½ cup water. Cover and blend until smooth. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Place romaine, tomatoes, and cucumber in cabbage leaves. Top with burgers. Drizzle with Tahini Sauce. Sprinkle with additional chopped fresh parsley and, if desired, lemon zest.
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (1 burger): 197 calories, 37 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 3 g total fat, .4 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 303 mg sodium, 5.5 g fiber, 5 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

Comments (9)

(5 from 4 votes)

Recipe Rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Kimberly Stratman

Awesome flavor! I had to make quinoa flour as I was out of dried chickpeas. I then ended up putting half of the mixture into the blender as I couldn’t make “burgers” form. Wow! Excellent end product. Will definitely make again.

Marcia

Absolutely delicious. Question. What texture should the potatoes be after the second 10 minutes of cooking? I added the following: 1 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, minced dried garlic, minced dried onions. I add this quartet to everything. I also added 1 Tbsp of my mediterranean spice mix: 2 T oregano, 2 T marjoram, 1 T thyme. And 1 Tbsp low sodium tamari. Napa cabbage works well. Ras al hanout has wonderful flavor.

Lisa, Forks Over Knives Support

Hi Marica, Thanks for your feedback. By the end of the second 10 minutes of cooking, the potatoes should be soft.

Lou

Absolutely delicious, and so appreciated how well your recipe Darshana was written and how it all turned out perfectly following your instructions. Thank you!

Patricia Neel-Wilson

These were yummy. Next time I’ll half the recipe.

Carol

Sounds delicious! Will whole wheat flour work in place of chickpea flour?

Lisa, Forks Over Knives Support

Hi Carol, Yes, Chef Darshana thinks whole wheat flour would work fine.

Beth

To try your recipes I’d need to find ingredients like ra el hanout This is not the only recipe but others too where u don’t usually have or know what the ingredients are !

Val

I'm not sure if you noticed that the article included a link to the ra el hanout - it looks to me that it is a blend of spices we all would commonly have in our pantries, I hope that helps you enjoy the recipe. A FOK fan

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
See More from this Author

Join our mailing list

Get free recipes and the latest info on living a happy, healthy plant-based lifestyle.

By providing your email address, you consent to receive newsletter emails from Forks Over Knives. We value your privacy and will keep your email address safe. You may unsubscribe from our emails at any time.