Pub Grub Veggie Burgers
There are lots of delicious, convenient veggie burgers on the market these days, but many of them are filled with artificial flavours and sodium. It's so easy to make your own – in fact, Lukas Volger wrote an entire cookbook of them; this is one of his recipes.
Black beans and chickpeas form the basis of these burgers, so they're full of fibre and nutrients, including phosphorus, potassium, iron and folate. The chili powder lends a subtle, smoky flavour to the burger.
The only downside to homemade veggie burgers is that you can't slap them on the grill right away because they may stick and/or fall through the grates. Instead, they have to be par-baked, then reheated on the grill. This recipe makes lots, so you can make a big batch and freeze, then barbecue them when you are ready. If you didn't have the chance to plan ahead, these are great simply pan-fried with oil (about 4-5 minutes per side) or baked. In our recipe, we used 19 oz (540 mL) cans of beans just because they're easier to find, but you have 14 oz (398 mL) cans, take a look at Lukas's original recipe for the measurements.
Ingredients (Makes 10 patties)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 1 × 19 oz (540 mL) can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups cooked)
- 1 × 19 oz (540 mL) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups cooked)
- 1½ tsp (7 mL) chili powder
- ⅓ cup (85 mL) parsley, chopped
- 2 cups (500 mL) panko or bread crumbs
- 1 cup grated melting cheese, i.e. monterey jack, muenster, mozzarella or fontina
Method
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Combine the onion, eggs, beans and chili powder in a food processor and pulse until combined. Turn the bean mixture into a mixing bowl and fold in the parsley, panko, and cheese. Shape into 10 patties.
- Bake patties on prepared cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Let cool before wrapping and freezing individually. When ready to eat, cook on a well-oiled grill on medium-high for 5-7 minutes per side, or until heated through. You can also reheat in the oven or toaster oven at 325˚F until heated through.
Nutrition Information (per patty)
262 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated, 0 g trans), 84 mg cholesterol, 35 g carbohydrate (7 g fibre, 4 g sugar), 14 g protein, 416 mg sodium.
