Homemade Veggie Burgers

Homemade Veggie Burgers

The freezer section of my local grocer was tapped out of my favorite veggie burgers which was a bummer. Until I discovered that I could make an equally if not more delectable veggie burger by tapping into my vegetable meal prep and pantry. If you roast veggies, have a can of beans on hand, some greens and breadcrumbs you can make this too. You needn’t follow the exact ingredients below, in fact, I welcome you to freestyle and use what you have on hand. The only items I would say you can’t swap out are the sweet potatoes and beans (but feel free to use any bean you have) as they provide the foundation for this burger. Cabbage can be substituted with more greens, peas can be swapped out for corn or use both - why not? Feel free to dice up cooked beats, roasted carrots, fold in caramelized onions, or roasted peppers - it’s your veggie burger world. I recommend using some roasted vegetables so you get depth of flavor in the burger mixture. You can process them all into one big mound, or process half of them and fold in the rest so you have some additional texture in your burger.

Bread crumbs, flax meal and oats are used along with the egg white to hold the veggie burger together. But if you don’t have flax meal and/or oats, it’s ok - just use 1 1/3 cup of bread crumbs and call it a day! I love using flavored bread crumbs because I can go lighter on the salt and still get a very flavorful and herby veggie burger. Cumin is totally optional, but recommended. When this burger is topped with with hummus or a cilantro yogurt dipping sauce (recipe to come), you’ll notice a really enhanced flavor; one that gives this burger a whole new Middle Eastern layer of life.

Serve alongside a salad, soup or more roasted vegetables.

Cooks tip: wear vinyl gloves when making the veggie burgers as the mixture is pretty sticky and it’ll be much easier for you to form patties without gooey hand frustration. Enjoy every moment. That’s what cooking is all about.

Homemade Veggie Burgers
3/4 cup of chickpeas , drained and rinsed
1 1/2 roasted sweet potatoes
1 cup of greens, I used leftover radish greens
1 cup of steamed or braised cabbage, I used red cabbage
1 cup of frozen peas
1/3 cup of flax meal
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 egg white
Olive oil for brushing the burgers before they go in the oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a roasting sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper and set aside
Combine all ingredients, except for the peas and oats, to a food processor fit with a steel blade and mix until smooth and combined
Scrape mix from the food processor to a large bowl and fold in oats and peas until combined
Begin forming patties and place on the roasting tray, repeat, makes approximately 6 large or 8 medium patties
Brush with olive oil and bake for 12 minutes, turn the patties and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until light brown on both sides

Notes Re-heating + Freezing
To reheat the patties place in a pan coated with non-stick spray and cook until heated through - about 5 minutes. I always let the patties sit out at room temperature first so they don’t need as long to heat up.
If you plan to freeze the patties, allow to cool, wrap in plastic, then in foil and place in a ziplock bag. Store for up to 3 months.
To reheat from the freezer, allow the patties to defrost and follow above directions.