Turkish Lentil Patties

Mercimek köftesi is a staple on Turkish mezze tables and one of the most popular vegan dishes in Turkish home cooking. Made with red lentils, fine bulgur, herbs, and warm spices, these soft lentil patties are filling, flavorful, and completely plant-based.

They’re shaped by hand, served cold, and almost always eaten wrapped in crisp lettuce with a squeeze of lemon. No frying, no baking, and no last-minute cooking. That’s part of the appeal. Mercimek köftesi works just as well as a mezze, a light lunch, or something to prepare ahead for gatherings, and it tends to disappear quickly once it hits the table.

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils

• 2 cups water

• ½ cup fine bulgur

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 4-5 tbsp sunflower oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 5 green onions, finely chopped

• ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 tbsp pepper paste

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp red pepper flakes

• ½ tsp cumin (optional)

• Juice of ½ lemon

Instructions

Cook the lentils

Rinse the red lentils until the water runs clear.

Place them in a pot with the water and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Take the pot off the heat, add the fine bulgur, stir once, cover, and let it rest for 10–15 minutes. The bulgur will soften as it absorbs the remaining moisture.

Prepare the base

Heat the sunflower oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Stir in the tomato paste and pepper paste. Cook for a couple of minutes, just until everything smells fragrant.

Mix

Add the onion mixture to the lentil and bulgur base. Mix well with a spoon or your hands once it cools slightly. Add the green onions, parsley, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and cumin if using. Knead gently until everything comes together and holds its shape.

Shape

Take small portions and press them in your palm to form oval patties. Keep the size even so they look neat on the plate.

Serve

Arrange the patties on lettuce leaves and serve with extra lemon on the side. They’re usually served cold or at room temperature and keep well in the fridge, which makes them ideal for preparing ahead.