Whether you’ve given up on meat entirely, or are just eating less of it, biting into a delicious juicy veggie burger can fit the bill. Yet the frozen ones on the market often turn out dry, thin, bland…or full of sodium…calories…additives…or all of the above.

It’s better to make your own, and it’s an easy habit to start. You can cook a batch with your favorite grains, beans, vegetables and seasonings over the weekend…and freeze for meals for easy dinners all month long.

Here’s everything you need to know to start building moist, flavorful, super-healthy burgers—plus a recipe for curried veggie burgers that you might just fall in love with.

THE VEGGIE BURGER HOW-TO KIT

Here’s are some basic cooking tips for any good veggie burger…

• Finely chop vegetables with a sharp knife, or, if you’re using a food processor, pulse gently—you don’t want a paste.

• Cook them so you can drain out any liquid—mushrooms, zucchini, spinach and even broccoli have very high moisture content, and you don’t want all that water sloshing around your burger. Cooking them first releases moisture and deepens flavor. You can add spices as you cook.

• Let grains cool completely before adding to burgers. Try these in your burgers: Farro, rice, quinoa, barley.

• If you are using nuts, make sure to grind them very finely. They not only add protein and healthy fats but also improve the texture of the burgers.

• Season the mixture well. Grain- and bean-based burgers need twice the amount of seasoning as meat burgers do. Try: Low-sodium tamari and soy sauces, miso, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, no-salt seasonings, spices, dry rubs and minced herbs to bring up the flavor.

• Use a dry binder ingredient to seal these ingredients together. Dry breadcrumbs or panko flour work well. If you want a gluten-free burger, go with uncooked oats, gluten-free panko or crushed low-sugar rice cereal such as gluten-free Rice Krispies.

• Use an egg white as a wet binder.

Now you’re ready to mix the ingredients together, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour, and then start flipping burgers. When you form patties, the mixture shouldn’t stick to your hands much. If it does, add a little more binder. If too dry, sprinkle a little water or add a bit more of whatever liquid, such as tamari, you’re using to season it. When you pan-fry the burgers, let them cook undisturbed for three minutes so they get a nice crust. Or bake them at 375°F for about 10 minutes per side.

The recipe that follows is worlds above the commercial kind. It’s got wonderful flavors from cashews, the earthy ancient grain farro, sautéed mushrooms and onions, curry powder, cumin and cilantro. Make sure you budget the time so that the ingredients can meld together in the refrigerator for an hour before you cook the burgers.

Try it, and let us know how it worked for you!

Curried Veggie Burgers
Makes 6 burgers

Ingredients

  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • ½ medium onion, cubed
  • 1 (8-ounce) package sliced crimini mushrooms
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1 medium zucchini, grated
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1 cup cooked semipearled farro or long grain brown rice, cooled to room temperature
  • 1¾ cups cooked drained chickpeas/garbanzos, either cooked from dry beans or canned
  • 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium soy or tamari sauce
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves
  • ⅓ cup panko, dried breadcrumbs, uncooked whole oats or crushed gluten-free Rice Krispies
  • 1 large egg white

For serving: Warmed naan, pita bread half or whole grain bun, sliced avocado, sliced tomato, cilantro leaves, plain yogurt

Method

1. In a food processor, pulse cashews until finely ground and transfer to a large bowl.

2. Pulse mushrooms and onion in food processor until finely minced. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil and heat briefly. Add mushroom/onion mixture, and sauté until they are lightly browned, reducing heat as necessary, eight to 10 minutes.

3. Stir in zucchini, curry powder, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until zucchini is tender, about 3 minutes. Pour out any excess liquid, and transfer to bowl that has the cashews.

4. Pulse farro in food processor until finely chopped, about 6 times. Add to vegetable mixture.

5. Process beans and soy sauce in the food processor until finely ground, scraping bowl as needed, about 20 seconds. Add cilantro to beans and pulse until minced, 5 to 6 times. Add to mushroom mixture. Mix in panko and egg white. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

6. To form burgers, pack mixture into a half-cup measure and turn out onto a plate. Press into even-thickness, three-quarter-inch-thick, 3- to 3 ½-inch diameter patties. Cook in oil in skillet over medium-high heat until browned on both sides, reducing heat as needed, about 3 minutes per side. (Baked alternative: Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat a lightly oiled baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove baking sheet from the oven, spray with cooking spray, and arrange burgers on the baking sheet. Bake until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes per side. If desired, toast additionally for a few minutes on a hot grill to finish.)

Serve in warm naan, pita or whole-grain bread, garnished with lettuce, tomato, avocado, cilantro and yogurt as desired.

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