Total time: About 3 hours, though some of the prep time could have overlapped more effectively, so it could have been done faster.
Source: Master of the Grill (Also found in The Ultimate Burger)
Servings: 6+
Confession: In helping Sean prep this recipe, I messed it up. It still managed to be delicious, but I quadrupled the amount of cashews that were supposed to be in it. I’m assuming much of the crumbliness of the burgers was due to this, but they were still reasonably moist and the flavor was really good.
The actual grill part of this was super easy, but there was a good amount of prep in advance, including cooking bulgur and lentils and chopping and browning vegetables before combining things and shaping the patties. Nothing requires particularly close attention or fast-paced work, so it’s easy enough, just make sure you have time for it.
I am especially pleased with how the boys responded to these: I didn’t tell them what we were eating, just that dinner was ready. I assembled their burgers for them, the adults all expressed sheer happiness with how they turned out, and then I asked the boys what they thought after they had a few bites. They both said they were good, so I asked them if they knew what kind of burgers they were and they said no. I told them they were veggie burgers and that there was no meat in them. The older one looked at his burger again and said, “This is zero percent meat?” He didn’t believe me because it tasted so good. Success.
The recipe was supposed to make 12 burgers, but my cashew craziness turned out a higher yield so Sean measured out 1/2 cups (the estimated volume from the recipe) instead of spreading out the contents evenly. Most of us had two burgers (though I am super full now), but it may be reasonable to have only one if they’re made properly and therefore are a bit more than 1/2 cup each.
Testing the Test Kitchen 