Like a lot of people, we really got into the plant-based burger craze when all the new, impossibly-meaty-tasting patties started showing up in the refrigerated section of our supermarket. We each had our favorites and served them like California-style burgers, piling on the onions and lettuce and homemade “special sauce,” remarking over and over, mouths full, “This really is almost as good as a hamburger!” But after a while, I started to feel like it maybe wasn’t such a great idea to get too addicted to them, especially since the brand we picked up most frequently was highly processed and had an ingredient list as long as a Hostess Twinkie. So I set to work trying to develop a veggie burger with whole ingredients that might take its place.
This was not easy or fun—in fact, if you ever meet my daughters, you might not want to mention the bean-burger phase of testing to either of them. (Though maybe they’ve blocked it out?) Eventually, I landed on this recipe, which tastes more like a burger and less like a bean. It was originally inspired by a recipe from Sprouted Kitchen’s Sara Forte, one of my great heroes of plant-based family cooking. Like many veggie-burger recipes, hers relies on the depth of cooked-down mushrooms and is based on black beans, which I’ve tried and loved, but I knew the diners at my table— the little ones, at least—would more likely respond to a milder pinto-based burger that also resembled the color of a burger. I was right. And they weren’t the only ones who responded favorably. Christine Han, the lovely and talented photographer who shot every picture in The Weekday Vegetarians (including the one you see above) told me she couldn’t stop thinking about the burgers after eating them at our photo shoot. (When we wrapped, I gave her four frozen patties as a thank-you gift.)
There is a hitch. Unlike the rest of the recipes in The Weekday Vegetarians, this one is decidedly fussy. The workaround is to mix up a batch of patties on Sunday to freeze for my later, less-relaxed weeknight self. If you think ahead to do that, they’ll only take 10 minutes to fry up in oil—no thawing required. There you have it, a quick weeknight vegetarian dinner. And so much better than veggie burgers from the supermarket.
Veggie Burgers
From The Weekday Vegetarians
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
8 ounces mushrooms (I use baby bellas), including stems, chopped
1 cup cooked long- or short-grain brown rice (I often use Trader Joe’s precooked rice to save myself time)
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1 large egg
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 small Japanese sweet potato (about 7 ounces) or baking potato, cooked, cooled, flesh scooped out, and broken into rough chunks
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans, or 1 (15-ounce) can, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
For serving:
8 potato buns or brioche buns (for next-level burgers)
Spicy mayo (3 tablespoons mayo mixed with 2 teaspoons sriracha; optional)
Pickled Onions, regular bread-and-butter pickles or minced red onions
Crunchy lettuce (optional)
Avocado slices
Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a cast-iron skillet set over medium heat. After a minute, add the onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. As the mushrooms cook, they will release a lot of water—you want all the liquid to evaporate from the pan. Set aside to let the mixture cool.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the brown rice, oats, cilantro, egg, soy sauce, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined, about ten 1-second pulses. (Don’t over process; you want the mixture to be textured—no more than eight to ten pulses.) Add the cooked sweet potato, beans, and cooled mushroom mixture. Pulse until blended but still textured, not even 10 seconds total.
Shape the mixture into 8 very thin 4-inch patties—think California-style. They will probably look mushy and unappetizing, and I implore you not to let any of your diners watch this part, but press on! (Also, just like with regular burgers, it’s easier to shape them when your hands are slightly wet.)
After shaping, place the patties on a plate, covered with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes if you have the time. (I’ve made them without chilling and they’re fine, just a little harder to handle in terms of flipping.) If you want to freeze them for a later date, wrap each in parchment paper and place them in a single layer in a resealable freezer bag, set the bag on a plate or cutting board (to stay flat), and freeze for up to 3 months. (You can remove the plate after a few hours.)
When you’re ready to eat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron or nonstick, over medium-high heat. Dredge each patty in flour, then fry until golden and crispy on each side, 7 to 8 minutes total. Serve on buns with your choice of toppings.
For more easy, approachable vegetarian recipes, check out my New York Times bestselling book The Weekday Vegetarians and the follow-up: The Weekday Vegetarians: Get Simple.
