READY IN 40 mins

Italian Vegetarian Patties

Read Reviews (34)

"This is my original recipe. My teenage vegetarian daughter devours these patties as snacks or when made into a sandwich topped with sauce and provolone cheese. We also use them for chicken Parmesana, or form them into meatballs. They freeze well, too." — SHECOOKS2

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan. Stir in the brown rice, and cook until golden brown. Add the lentils, water, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Add additional water if needed; mixture should be very thick. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Place the cooked rice mixture in a food processor along with the eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and garlic powder. Process until well combined, and the texture of ground meat. Form into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties, using about 3 tablespoons mixture for each.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. In batches, fry patties until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels; cool. Fry remaining patties in the same manner. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator or freezer.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 20 mins
READY IN 40 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Note:
If necessary, add additional bread crumbs or Parmesan cheese to thicken or for flavor.
Editor's Note:
We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Sep 17, 2009

I love, love, love these patties! The only changes I made were, 1) adding about 1/2 cup of chopped onions to the hot oil and rice, and 2) to use a light-flavored olive oil rather than vegetable oil, in keeping with my efforts to make healthier food choices. I didn't have to alter the amount of water, or change the recipe in any other way. Not sure why onions would not be included in the recipe, though. To me, onions are the backbone of flavorful, savory cooking. I love how these patties were not dry or cardboard-like, as so many vegetarian "meat" recipes can be. Thank you for this recipe, SHECOOKS2. It is a keeper! Even my meat-and-potatoes husband liked them.

—pprinss

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Dec 03, 2011

I'm rating this dish compared to all foods not just veggie patties. I'm not a connoisseur of veggie patties, but I would guess as far as those go it is probably pretty darn good. I would recommend these to vegetarians; however, I'd be hesitant to recommend them to others - it didn't wow me. I followed the recipe as is. In order to get a really thick consistency as required, it took me significantly longer to cook than directed. I ended up cooking them on low without the cover at the end. This recipe makes a lot! It wouldn't all fit in my food processor. Some of it I just stirred by hand and the consistency was fine. The patties cooked up nicely (give them some time to cool so they aren't too sticky) by just using cooking spray. I cooked them on medium-high heat until browned.

—CatLauren

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42 Ratings

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Jun 07, 2010

I cooked this as written minus the cheese. After 40 minutes the rice/lentils still had a lot of water so I just took the lid off and let it simmer until it thickened up. My food processor was too small to fit it all in so I just did the lentils and rice in there and then threw it all in my stand mixer. That worked fine. I don't love that they are fried but they are soooo tasty. What a treat! I can't wait to try them as "meatballs" or as a lettuce wrap. I have one in the oven to see how they bake up and it looks good so far. Update....I have made this several times now...all very tasty. My favorite way is to freeze them uncooked, individually packaged, and I just thaw them as needed. I cook them in an iron skillet with a little oil.

—Mareseatoats

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Oct 13, 2009

Excellent. I'm not a vegetarian, just a lady lookin' for a recipe to use up some lentils. I made this as written, with the exception of throwing in about a 1/4 finely diced onion. I made small patties, like sliders. I served them on little buns with mustard & ketchup. I never said a word to my husband about what they "really" were. He loved them. Still thinks he was eatin' a burger!

—CINDY3539

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Mar 09, 2010

I followed the recipe exactly, and I liked what I got, but it wasn't what I thought I was going to get! the 6 cups of water was way too much for me, I don't think I ever got it quite thick enough. so when I went to make the patties, I couldn't for the life of me get them to keep their shape, even after cooling completely. so instead I used my cookie scoop to make about 80 meatless balls... I baked them for 30 minutes at 400 and they were delicious! the other thing I must have gotten wrong was the processing because these had no semblance of meat texture, and of course they didn't taste like meat, so I don't think I will be able to pass them off as meatballs. they taste like mashed potato actually. but they are really tasty, and my 2 little kids gobbled them up so I can't complain! I will start with less water next time, and try processing them less to get a better texture.

—JULIAJOHNSON

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Jan 13, 2012

I have made these three times now, and this time I did not put the grains in the food processor as I found the consistency is too much like mashed potatoes. Tonight, they were great! When I browned the uncooked rice, I added a medium chopped onion and two chopped stalks of celery along with three cloves of garlic. I used Lundberg's rice blend of red, brown and wild rice. When the grains were cooked, I simply stirred them into the bread crumb & egg mixture, added 1/2 tsp pepper and 1 TBSP Italian seasoning, and fried the patties in olive oil. The texture is way better when you don't use a food processor. Don't mash the grains at all, as they are mushy enough!

—Georgia

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Oct 09, 2009

One of my favorite veggie burger recipes. I froze some and took it with me on my vacation. They might take a while to make but are well worth the effort, thanks for the recipe. Edit: I tried making them into "meatballs" today and they were excellent. This is definitely a staple for me now :)

—Nour

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Aug 24, 2009

Absolutely wonderful. I added some fresh thyme and Tabasco sauce for extra flavour. I didn't have any Parmesan cheese but added 1 1/2 cups grated tofu for extra protein. I also chilled the mixture in the fridge for 1/2 hour to make it easier to form the patties.

—Jacki

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Nutrition

Calories
242 kcal
12%

Carbohydrates
30.3 g
10%

Cholesterol
30 mg
10%

Fat
8.3 g
13%

Fiber
6.6 g
26%

Protein
11.2 g
22%

Sodium
395 mg
16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Italian Vegetarian Patties

Serving Size: 1/16 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 16
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 242
Calories from Fat: 75

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8.3g 13 %
** Saturated Fat 2.3g 12 %
Cholesterol 30mg 10 %
Sodium 395mg 16 %
Potassium 253mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrates 30.3g 10 %
Dietary Fiber 6.6g 26 %
Protein 11.2g 22 %
** Sugars 1.6g
Vitamin A 2 %
Vitamin C 1 %
Calcium 17 %
Iron 26 %
** Thiamin 26 %
Niacin 31 %
** Vitamin B6 11 %
** Magnesium 17 %
** Folate 61 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.