Easy Bean Veggie Burgers

My husband has been asking me for some time to find a good vegetarian burger recipe. We typically buy Chipotle Black Bean veggie burgers in the frozen food section, or splurge on Beyond Meat patties (great on protein, not so good on fat). I grew up vegetarian and my family made veggie burgers all the time, but my tastes have changed and nutrition requirements are a little more complicated now. And, with all that’s going on in the world (specifically COVID-19), shopping for frozen burgers isn’t at the top of my list anymore. Well, long story shortened somewhat, I’ve been inspired to attempt some vegetarian burger recipes.

I recently discovered Lukas Volga, a James Beard award-winning cookbook author, food writer, recipe developer, and editor, who has several vegetarian cookbooks that piqued my interest. One in particular, “Veggie Burgers Every Which Way,” caught my eye. I immediately downloaded it from Apple’s Book Store to get going!

I realized I actually had all the ingredients on hand for several recipes. Today, I tried out the first recipe, Easy Bean Burgers. Lukas says you can use most any bean, or combination of beans for this recipe and recommends cooking your own beans, making your own bread crumbs (and bread). I was in a bit of a hurry so I used canned beans this time, but did happen to have some stale bread to make my own bread crumbs.

Now, you have to know my husband….when I say he’s picky about food, it’s an understatement! And, this my friends, is husband approved! Thank you Lukas!!! I will definitely be trying more recipes in this cookbook. You can download it or purchase a hard copy here:  Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Apple Books | Amazon.

 

Easy Bean Burgers

Makes 4, 4-inch patties

1½ cups cooked beans (I used a can of rinsed/drained chickpeas or garbanzo beans)
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
¾ cup toasted bread crumbs, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a mixing bowl, mash the beans using a potato masher or fork. Fold in the eggs, parsley, Parmesan, mustard, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Fold in the bread crumbs, adding more if the mixture is too loose. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes for the crumbs to soak up some moisture. Adjust seasonings. Shape into 4 patties.
3. In an oven-safe skillet or nonstick sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the patties and cook until browned on each side, 6 to 10 minutes total. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the burgers are firm and cooked through.

Nutrition Information for 1 burger:

296 calories, 6.1 g fat, 44.9 g carbohydrates, 14.2 g protein