Lentil-Barley Burgers with Fiery Fruit Salsa

I've made these burgers over the course of 3 summers & loved them!  Did not get tired of them at all.  In fact, I tossed out my other veggie burger recipe and now only use this one.  The burgers are very filling and salsa adds a complimenting flavor to it.  I agree with other reviews...a little labor intensive but you can store/freeze either the prepared burgers or cooked barley & lentils too.  This is the only veggie burger my son will eat :)

I skip the eggs entirely though and use just a bit more bread crumbs.  Never missed the eggs! With this modification, I have made them completely vegetarian. 

We've made these a number of times and they are fantastic.  A little labor intensive, yes, but worth it (and it makes so many you can freeze and reheat the extras for quick meals later on).  We usually make the salsa with just tomato, mango, avocado, onion and salt, and we use italian bread crumbs instead of panko (adds a little flavour).  We don't use buns, just a pile of patties and a pile of salsa!  Very healthy and delicious.

I was worried about this recipe... seems the more ingredients and labor-intensive, the worse the outcome feels if its no good. These burgers, though, were not that case. I will be making them again and again! My meat-eating husband absolutely loved them.

Delicious! A bit time consuming, but the recipe tells you that up front. Today was the first time I tried this recipe, but I will make them again. I might double the batch and freeze the extras. The salsa is the perfect complement to the no-bun burger..

The burgers were delicious, definitely going to make again. The only thing I'd change is the portion size. The burgers were really small and didn't fill the bun. Next time, I'll double the recipe and make 10 patties.

I also found these to be really good. I used red lentils and cooked them only for a short time, bringing them to a boil briefly in vegetable broth, draining and then using the broth to cook the barley (whole-grain, not pearled) while I prepared the other ingredients. I doubled the carrot as I had some already grated and cooked the garlic last to preserve more flavor. Instead of panko I used wheat bran, and taking others' advice I used 2 whole eggs. Like others I also found that the chill period was not necessary. The patties were delicate before cooking but held together well in the skillet. For the salsa I had only mango on-hand, so I subbed some diced watermelon and tossed these with lime juice and cilantro. Served these with supergreens and sliced strawberries. A bit time-consuming for a weeknight supper but a tasty vegetarian recipe that I would make again. .

Love, love, love this recipe. Figured out how to make it stay together better: use 3 whole eggs instead of 2 egg whites and 1 whole. The extra yolk totally makes the difference and just takes this recipes to a new level. I also go heavy-handed with all the spices as I like it to be very flavorful and add cayenne pepper for an extra kick (I don't make the salsa). I eat it with plain yoghurt. Yum!

This was a great recipe. I added sunflower and pumpkin seeds and got a great crunch. Had them for breakfast with poached eggs, got great smooth finish with the fat from the yolk.

great recipe!!! my 2 and 4 year olds ate it all up. even my husband, who originally looked at dinner with a grimace b/c it was meatless, ended up loving it. instead of cooking patties in a skillet, i broiled them - that way they don't fall apart and are crispy on the outside. i will definitely make this again!!!

I made this almost as stated, except I used dried seasonings. It turned out so great I used it as the recipe for my vegetarian cousin's bridal shower cook book that her mom put together. I found it easy to make and I'm a work in progress cook who typically makes a mess the first time I make something. After I made it I left it covered in the fridge up to 5 days and just pulled it out to cook a fresh burger.

I learned from a vegetarian to add a tightly-packed cup to cup-and-a-half of overly-cooked, very soft, drained pasta (any kind works...can also use gluten-free pasta) to the food processor when processing the lentils. It acts as a "glue" to hold the burgers together while cooking.

I tried this recipe for the first time last night. I did have to make several substitutions because I did not have all the ingredients (sweet potato for the carrots, ground red pepper for the chili powder, plain breadcrumbs for panko, dried parsley for fresh, and store-bought tomato salsa for the fruit salsa), and it was delicious! Next time I would like to try it with the salsa in the recipe.

These were fantastic...I had to substitute fresh cilantro for the parsley...but made the burgers according to the recipe. My husband loved them and we decided these are the best veggie burgers we have had (at home or out). The salsa was also good. I skipped the tomatillo as I didn't have any on hand, but a great compliment to the burgers. Make these!!!

LOOOOVED these burgers. It was extremely time consuming with cooking both the barley and lentils AND letting it rest for an hour, but if you have the time to make it in parts (i did it over three days) they are delicious.

This was excellent. Very time consuming (prepared over two days) but well worth it. The salsa was spicy, will probably seed it the next time I make it. I plan on making a big batch and freezing them for weekday lunches. Served with a side salad.

These were very good. I'm usually not a big fan of barley, but these set together nicely and the flavor was fresh. The burger alone would have been dry but the salsa gave it a pop. I gave it only 4 stars because of the amount of prep work involved. The changes I made were, I tripled the salsa and only used one jalapeno pepper. I also put it in the freezer for 10 minutes instead of the fridge for an hour. My patties weren't perfectly shaped but turned out great.

This was the best veggie burger I've ever made! The consistency of this one was very close to a meat burger. And the seasoning were great- very tasty and didn't get lost in the lentil and barley filling like lots of other veggie burgers do. We didn't make the salsa that does with this, though- we just dressed them up like regular burgers. I knew it was a keeper when my husband raved about them.

I have been looking for main dishes that are healthy and flavorful, but cut down on meat. This meal was outstanding! Followed the recipe exactly. The patties were so tasty even with the limited salt and fat. The refreshing medium/medium hot salsa made the dish and complemented the patties' earthy flavors. Patties were not super firm but still manageable. Stick to pan grilling and don't turn multiple times. Served with seasoned baked fries and greens. I realized this recipe was going to take some time so I doubled it and froze the extras. Next time I will triple the patties and quadruple the salsa (bc 1/3-1/2 C per serving seems more appropriate then the suggested 1/4 C).

Excellent! This recipe was time-consuming; I'd be interested in shortcut ideas. I didn't have any trouble with the patties falling apart, but I almost missed the step to drain the lentils. If you forgot that, they might be too soft. Also, I was sure to let them cook the full 3 min. on each side and not flip them early. We had them for a picnic. Amazing! I did add salt and cilantro to the salsa.

The flavors were delicious but I, too, had difficulty keeping the burgers together. The last few I cooked, I tried to pound together more firmly and they did hold together slightly better. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any other suggestions on how to keep these patties together.

Yum. Two complaints though. One, my patties didn't firm up. They broke during cooking. Two, the salsa was borderline too hot. Will put in my recipe collection and play w/ it some more.

These are awesome!!! I didn't have pearl barley so used regular which cooks a lot longer, but worked fine. Have not made the salsa, just the burgers and even took them for off-site lunch and ate cold, great