I surprised at how well these crisped up on the pan, but they are extremely satisfying and healthy! There are a multitude of reasons why this recipe is a perfect option to whip together throughout the week. First and foremost, red lentils are packed with protein and fiber content. This means that this dish is going to do an awesome job at filling you up quickly and keeping you full. In addition to the nutritional value of this meal- it is also crazy cheap to make per serving. Most of these ingredients you may likely already have available in your cupboards already – but whatever you do need to pick up ahead of time you can rest easy knowing all the ingredients are extremely versatile so these ingredients will not be purchased only to collect dust in the back of your pantry.
To kick off our journey to the “fritter frontier”, go ahead and rinse your lentils until the water runs clear. Dump your cup of rinsed lentils into a small or medium sized pot along with a pinch of salt, 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. One thing I did not realize about lentils is that they will not absorb all of the water while cooking. The first time I made this (I was unexperienced with lentils) and I was waiting for the water to absorb like it would with rice – but no dice! you will need to just check on the lentils after 15-20 minutes and if they are tender you can take them off the heat and drain the remaining water. While the lentils are cooking is a great time to prep the rest of your ingredients and grate your zucchini. I just used a standard cheese grater to do this. Zucchini’s retain a lot of water within them – way more than I would have realized. We do not want these fritters to be soggy, so we are going to drain out as much water as we can from the zucchini. Using a cheese cloth or a tea towel, ring out as much liquid as you can.
Once your lentils are done cooking, combine your zucchini, drained lentils, flour, spices and chopped onions. Mix these ingredients together well. You can use your hands or an ice cream scooper to take out a small handful’s worth of your mixture. Roll the mixture into a tight ball then flatten into a patty – about 1/2 inch thick. Repeat this process with the rest of your mixture.
To cook the patties, you will need to heat a small amount of oil on to a small or medium pan. Once heated, place one or two patties (don’t overcrowd, you will need to work in batches) onto the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes before flipping and cooking for another 3-4 minutes (or until cooked through and crisp on the outside).
Now that your patties are complete, you can eat as is, or add whatever toppings you like! I like to add avocado or vegan sour cream.
Vegan Fritters with Zucchini & Red Lentil
Ingredients
- 1 Zucchini, grated
- 1 Cup Red Lentils, cooked
- 1/2 Red onion, chopped
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tbsp Oil for frying patties. These help make patties crispy, but you can omit if you are trying to stay oil-free
Instructions
- Cook red lentils to package instructions, or: Rinse lentils before using. place 1 cup of red lentils, 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a pot together and heat to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. NOTE: unlike rice, the water will not be completely absorbed so you will just need to check the lentils after 15-20 minutes to check for tenderness. Drain and set aside
- Grate zucchini. Once grated, place zucchini in a thin dish towel and squeeze out excess water (there will be quite a bit of water)
- In a large bowl, combine zucchini, red lentils, flour, chopped onions and spices and mix well together
- Remove a small handful of the mixture and using your hands, form the mixture into a ball, then flatten into a patty – about 1/2 inch thick
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil on a pan at medium-high heat.
- In batches, place patty on pan and fry until crispy on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Serve by itself, with avocado, or any other of your favorite toppings or sides. Enjoy!
