How to Make Veggie Burgers

Yields: 6 burgers

Preparation time: 1 hr

Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients needed to make Veggie Burgers:

• 6 soft buns, split
• 1 medium carrot, scrubbed and finely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 small celery stalk, chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/3 cup quick-cooking barley
• 1 cup canned black beans, drained and washed
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 5 tbsp BBQ sauce
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt to taste
• Deep-fried onion rings, for topping

Cooking instructions for Veggie Burgers:

• Cook the barley according to the directions provided by its package and set aside to cool it down to room temperature.
• Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil into a large skillet and heat it over moderate flame until it shimmers.
• Throw in the celery plus onion and sprinkle a pinch of salt over them to season.
• Sauté for 12-14 minutes, stirring often, until they soften and stir in the garlic as well as carrots.
• Drizzle the 3 tbsp of the BBQ sauce over them, stir to coat well and continue to stir fry for another couple of minutes or until the mixture appears drier.
• Tip it into a food processor and set aside until it cools down completely.
• Dump the barley, walnuts, egg whites, parsley and breadcrumbs into the food processor and pour in the soy sauce.
• Season with ½ tsp salt, cover and blitz them until they grind into a slightly grainy mixture.
• Split the ground mixture into 6 equal portions and shape them into 4’ wide patties, each about ¼’’ thick.
• Wrap them up in cling film and leave in the fridge for at least a couple of hours or until they turn firm.
• Meanwhile, warm up your broiler.
• Heat rest of the oil in a large skillet over moderate heat and place the veggie patties onto it, two at a time.
• Cook each side of 6 minutes, or until they turn golden brown and flip it over to cook the other side similarly.
• While the patties cook, arrange the buns onto a broiler pan, with their cut side facing up and toast them in the broiler for a minute or two.
• Place one patty onto the bottom half of each bun and spoon a splash of BBQ sauce on top.
• Arrange the fried onion rings over it and cover it with the top half of the bun to close the burger.
• Assemble rest of the burgers in a similar fashion and serve immediately.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on May 4, 2013 by