Veggie Burgers!

With Memorial Day just around the corner, it's time to talk about burgers (again). Yes, I know I just wrote about all-beef patties, but you don't need meat to make a tasty burger. Veggie burgers can be just as delicious as their beef counterparts, and healthier too.

Now when I say veggie burgers, I do not mean garden burgers. Just like any mass-produced food, frozen garden burgers are a quick commercially-made alternative to a true veggie burger. Making homemade vegetarian burgers is not much more difficult than preparing beef burgers (especially if you have a food processor) and you can modify the recipe for your own tastes and preferences. Plus they aren't full of sodium (unlike the frozen varieties).

There are numerous ways to make veggie burgers. Whether using mushrooms, vegetables, tofu or beans as a base, each recipe has something different to offer. I like making my burgers with beans because the texture, when pulsed in a food processor, is really perfect for shaping into patties. I also just like the flavor of beans. Other ingredients I tend to use are walnuts (which provide both substance and flavor), spinach (which helps bind the burger), carrots and onions. You'll also need to mix in a dry ingredient or the burger will disintegrate into the pan when you try to fry it (trust me on this as I've had it happen). The good news is that you can really use whatever you'd like, from bread crumbs to oatmeal, rice, bulgur or couscous (which is what I used when preparing the recipe below this week as I had some leftover from dinner the night before).

Seasonings are really whatever you want. If using black beans, try a tsp of cumin and 1/2 cup cilantro. If you want something with an Italian flavor, use cannellini beans and then add in some sun dried tomatoes and basil. Other flavorings could be chili powder, turmeric, curry powder, ginger, soy sauce or a variety of herbs. It's your burger, so mix in whatever sounds good.

Don't over process the ingredients or else the burger will fall apart
Cook in a nonstick pan (I use my cast-iron pans)
Fry your burgers in a little bit of oil
Handle your burgers carefully as veggie burgers are more fragile than meat burgers and tend to fall apart
Chill your burgers before cooking (if time allows) as they will maintain their shape better
Start off cooking in a hot skillet and then reduce the heat
If you accidentally over process the beans, just add more dry ingredients
Taste the bean mixture before adding the egg so you can determine if you have seasoned everything to your liking

Following is my bean burger recipe along with some links to other types of veggie burgers that you may find interesting. Some are vegan, some vegetarian and all worth considering.

Recipe: Vegetarian Bean Burgers

Summary: You can use whatever type of bean you'd like in this recipe. I often prepare it with lentils or kidney beans, but black beans, pintos, garbanzos or cannellinis would also be fine. And although I use canned beans in the recipe, you can use home cooked if you have them around.

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 burgers

This recipe also uses an egg to help bind the mixture into patties. I've never made it without the egg, but I hear you can substitute a 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes if you want to keep it vegan. You can also leave out the nuts if you're not a fan or are allergic. They are optional.

Ingredients

1 14 oz can beans (kidney, lentil, garbanzo, cannellini, black or pinto)
1/2 cup walnuts
1 carrot diced
1/4 onion diced
1 handful spinach
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce*
1 tsp Dijon or brown mustard

1 egg

1 cup dry ingredients (fresh bread crumbs, bulgur, brown rice, oatmeal or couscous)
Salt and pepper to taste (taste before you put in the egg)
Olive or vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Dump the beans, onions, walnuts, carrots, spinach, Worcestershire sauce and mustard into your food processor and pulse 6 times.

Taste mixture and add salt and pepper (and any other seasonings you want) to taste.
Add in the egg and pulse another one or two times, making sure not to over puree, and then place everything in a big bowl.

Mix in your dry ingredients and then carefully shape into patties using wet hands (so the mixture doesn't stick to your fingers). Refrigerate for 10 minutes if you have time.
Heat your pan (I prefer my cast iron for this job) to medium high and then add in enough oil to coat the bottom of the entire pan. Set your burgers into the pan and cook uncovered until the bottom is nicely browned. Lower the heat to medium and then gently flip your burgers. Cover the pan and cook for about five minutes.
Check your burgers to see if they're done. Flip again (gently or else they'll fall apart) if they need to cook further. If you're adding cheese, this is the time to do it.
Remove burgers, set on a bun, add whatever toppings you like and dig in.

*Apparently Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies (who knew?) so if you'd like to keep this vegetarian or vegan, you can substitute soy sauce.

Here's a list of recipes for veggie burgers that I haven't yet tried, but plan on preparing in the future.

Moosewood's Mushroom Pecan Burgers from the venerable and reliable Moosewood Restaurant
Summer Veggie Burger Made to Order by Mark Bittman
The Simplest Bean Burgers from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
Tofu Burgers by 101 Cookbooks
Cracked Wheat Burgers with Pickled Onions and Lime Slather from Better Homes and Gardens
Greek Spinach Veggie Burgers from Better Homes and Gardens
Bean Burgers from Alison Holst from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Life
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger from Meatless Monday
Mushroom Burgers With Almonds and Spinach from the New York Times Recipes for Health
White Bean Burgers from the New York Times Recipes for Health