There are two kinds of veggie burgers – the kind that want really badly to look, feel and taste like meat, and the kind that are so unabashedly, unapologetically not meat that you’re not really even sure you can pull off calling it a burger. That’s the kind I like. I don’t want a bunch of processed soy isolate that’s been worked over endlessly in a lab somewhere – I’m picturing some doof in a lab coat somewhere in New Jersey (why NJ? I have no idea. In my head that’s where the lab is), meticulously adding and subtracting weird manufactured colors and flavors until a focus group in Delaware (just because that’s near New Jersey) deems it suitably meat-eriffic to package up and sell.
I felt like I just made that story up for a second, but I’m pretty sure that’s how Morningstar burgers were born.
No, I don’t want those veggie burgers. I want a veggie burger with enough cojones to say, “HEY. I’m not meat. You see that little lump? That’s a BEAN. Yeah that’s right. I’ve got BEANS. Oh, and you see that green fleck? Kale, sucker. And you’re gonna eat me and you’re gonna LIKE IT.”
My veggie burgers have an attitude problem, but I’m okay with that.
I started making my own a few years ago, when I cut way back on processed soy (take that, lab doof). I’ve found that it’s actually pretty fun to play around with flavors and ingredients once you get a good ratio of wet to dry going on – you can basically eat down everything that’s being neglected in the back of your fridge if you play your cards right. That’s how these guys came to be – leftover quinoa, an almost Hefty-bag size sack of kale, and a little bit of boredom. I was really happy with how they turned out – the quinoa binds and gives a bit of bite, and the kale just sort of hangs out and quietly gets its health benefits on. Sun-dried tomatoes and tons of herbs give some extra character to the mellow white bean flavor and add something of a Mediterranean bent. I serve them with a big platter of typical burger fixings (pickles, sliced onion, lettuce, tomato) but I also top mine with a dollop of goat cheese. However you doll them up, you won’t find anything like them at Five Guys or in a fictional New Jersey laboratory – and that makes my burger night just about perfect.
- 2 cans white kidney (cannelini) beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ small red onion, diced
- 2 cups kale leaves, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups cooked quinoa
- ¼ cup quick-cooking oats
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, diced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 large egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or tinfoil (spray with cooking spray if using tinfoil).
- Place beans in a medium bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash until almost smooth. It's okay if there are small chunks of bean.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until somewhat softened, about five minutes. Add chopped kale and cook, stirring, until softened and wilted, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Set aside to cool.
- Add quinoa, oats, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano, egg, salt and pepper to the beans, then add slightly cooled onion/kale/garlic mixture. Mix thoroughly, using a wooden spoon or your hands.
- Shape into 3-inch round patties and flatten slightly on the baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another ten minutes. Serve with burger fixings such as pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, mustard, and cheese.
This burger looks very delicious!!! Nice pics too!!!
[…] 13. White Bean, Kale and Quinoa Burgers Here’s a vegetarian burger idea that is using two trending health foods, kale and quinoa to replace the beef. You’ll still be getting plenty of protein, because the beans, kale, and quinoa are all meatless sources. But you’re also getting fiber from each main ingredient as well, and an assortment of vitamins and minerals. So this isn’t just a good alternative or break from the regular burger, it’s a nutritional statement being made. The best part is you don’t have to have that post burger guilt of having just eaten a burger. You’ll feel full but not weighed down. […]