Post-holiday remorse. So many of us feel it. “I should not have had that extra piece of pie (cake, plum pudding, cookie, scoop of ice cream).” —or— “I just realized we went through four pounds of butter… yesterday alone!” Yep, overeating at the holidays is a time-honored tradition… as is the guilt that follows. So, why not start the New Year with a nice veggie burger?
Generally, I have never been a huge fan of veggie burgers. Aside from a prevailing inability to flavor them with anything other than garlic, they tend to be dry and dull, in my experience.
When I told a friend I was making these veggie burgers, she looked at me quizzically and asked, “Why?” in an “on purpose?” tone. Her veggie burger experiences had been similar to mine. I responded that these were different. To me, they are not replacing beef but are just a good, stand-alone vegetarian patty.
The recipe is originally from Recipe Tin Eats. My guess is that my friend Eha from Down Under sent the recipe on, as she is a devoted fan of Nagi (RTE’s creator). Inevitably, I added my own two cents when making these, and I really like the way they came out.
Yes, I make them on purpose, for flavor, not just for post-holiday remorse. I think you will like them too
~ David
Ingredients
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon oil (olive, avocado, or walnut)
- 14-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews, salted or unsalted
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons + 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup cooked rice
- 3/4 cup scallions (green parts), sliced
- 2 – 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- brioche buns, toasted or grilled
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek, or to taste
- Toppings: slices of tomato, cheese, avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
- In a large bowl, toss both mushrooms with 1 tablespoon oil then spread on a baking tray. Spread beans on another tray, and sprinkle evenly with grated carrots. Put beans on top rack and mushrooms on the bottom rack. Bake for 15 minutes or until surface of beans is dried out. Remove beans from oven. Move mushrooms to top rack and bake another 10 minutes until somewhat dried. Remove from oven, cool and turn off oven.
- Place cashews in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until they resemble bread crumbs. Add cooled beans, mushrooms and carrot. Process with 10-12 long pulses. Add panko, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg, 2 tablespoons of the mayonnaise, paprika, salt, and pepper. Process with long pulses until the mixture comes together. This will take about 20-30 long pulses. Add rice and scallions, and process until they are just mixed in.
- The mixture should hold together when molded with your hands. If too wet, add some more bread crumbs. Shape into 6 large patties, about 3/4-inch thick, and place on a platter. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cooking.
- While the mixture is chilling, whisk together 1/2 cup mayonnaise, tomato paste, and sambal oelek in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons neutral oil. Cook half the patties until crisp and browned — about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and place on a warmed plate; cover with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining tablespoon oil and cook the remaining patties. (I would not recommend grilling them on the barbecue, as they will fall apart.)
- Place burgers on the bottom halves of the toasted/grilled buns, top with cheese (I used additional grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, as it was what I had on hand), tomato slices, avocado slices, and then spoon over sambal oelek sauce. Top with the other half of the bun and serve with pickles and chips.
- Serves 6.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Original recipe from Recipe Tin Eats; modifications and edits by Cocoa & Lavender.
Chef Mimi
January 8, 2022 at 6:53 amI bet it’s fabulous! When my husband was a vegetarian, I’d throw a bunch of stuff in the food processor and make burgers. Cooked grains, beans, sweet potato…I can’t even remember what, but they were all good! I never used nuts or mushrooms. I, for one, did not gain weight. But I’m not done with the cheese yet, either….
Cocoa & Lavender
January 9, 2022 at 7:04 amI don’t know if I can’t any weight over the holidays. My clothes are still fit, so that counts for something. I’m sure your veggie burgers were very creative!
Gerlinde
January 8, 2022 at 8:45 amI follow Tin Eats, it’s a great blog with wonderful recipes. I have to try this one.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 9, 2022 at 7:05 amI actually don’t follow Nagi — maybe I should. 🙂
John / Kitchen Riffs
January 8, 2022 at 10:15 amThis looks good. I’m not usually a fan of veggier burgers either, but this one looks quite good. Mushrooms always provide such a “meaty” flavor — they’re perfect in this. Nagi does some good stuff, and has been writing for a long time. She’s a good developer and curator of recipes. Anyway, thanks for this.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 9, 2022 at 7:05 amCertainly is a really good version! Thanks, John!
Jean | Delightful Repast
January 8, 2022 at 10:28 amDavid, back in my vegetarian days I made lots of veggie burgers. Never found a commercial one I liked, but homemade we loved. My bean of choice for most was black beans, but the cannellini would be perfect with the mushrooms. This is going onto my make-it-soon list. (PS I never overeat on any occasion or eat outside my 16:8 Intermittent Fasting feasting hours. So easy. Not even tempted. Four years now.)
Cocoa & Lavender
January 9, 2022 at 7:07 amI think you would like this version, Jean, as the cannellini beans have a very different texture from black beans.
Eha Carr
January 8, 2022 at 3:51 pmAm laughing ! Quelle surprise and Nagi I am certain and I send you love ! No holiday remorse here – sadly had little opportunity to sin 🙂 !!! Don’t normally eat burgers as feel I can do without the blessed bun but am sure to make your glorious-looking giant soonest ! I never seem to think of whether a dish is vegetarian or not . . . if it thrills I’ll have it and anything mushroom and tasty is we;come. Nagi and I go back nearly a decade when she decided to leave the corporate world to see what she could build up on her own. At the time she was ‘just one of us’ and commented on many of my favourite blogs. Terribly hard work, imagination and talent has built a virtual ’empire’ of over a dozen methinks finding fulltime work to bring us ideas ! A woman I do admire . . . and an awfully nice one to boot 🙂 !! love from Sydney-town to you twp . . .
Cocoa & Lavender
January 9, 2022 at 7:08 amThanks, Eha! And thanks for the original recipe!
John
January 8, 2022 at 4:23 pmI’ve never been one to feel any guilt after the Christmas period. Life’s too short, I say. Plus I’m never one to overindulge. When it comes to vege burgers, can recall eating them twice in my life. Neither was the most memorable experience. I’m curious where your two cents have been used in this recipe.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 9, 2022 at 7:09 amHonestly, John, I’ve never felt guilty either! Holidays are for enjoying, not for making us feel bad.
Aside from tightening how the recipe is written, the main addition I made was adding shiitake mushrooms. They actually add a very good amount of flavor to the burger.
Carolyne
January 8, 2022 at 7:19 pmThose burgers look amazing!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 9, 2022 at 7:10 amThanks, Carolyne — we loved them.
Fran @ G'day Souffle
January 9, 2022 at 10:14 amI often buy a “Beyond Burger” at the supermarket, but they are a bit expensive. Those veggie burgers taste just like beef to me and make me feel a little less guilty about eating them. I’ll definitely have to try your recipe- not only to save some money but to enjoy the taste!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 9, 2022 at 10:19 amAs I said, this isn’t replacing or trying to be beef — it’s just a really good veggie patty. I don’t feel I need to give up beef — just want to eat more vegetarian cuisine to balance it.
Sippitysup
January 10, 2022 at 10:25 amYou don’t need to be a vegetarian or remorseful to enjoy this burger! GREG
Ronit Penso Tasty Eats
January 10, 2022 at 11:29 amIt’s always good to have a meat free dishes at hand!
I like the use of cooked rice in the mixture. I usually cook too much – and end up using it in salads – so this will be a nice alternative. 🙂
Inger
January 10, 2022 at 12:33 pmMy issue with a lot of vegan/vegetarian food is that tjhey sacrifice the natural. Love that this is homemade from real food! But, yes, I just realized how much sugar I was down, ahem.
Jeff the Chef
January 11, 2022 at 7:52 amI agree with you about everything. I love that you’re not making a veggie burger just so that it doesn’t have meat, but that you’re making something that tastes great regardless of what it might or might not be. And it does sound delicious!
Raymund
January 12, 2022 at 2:12 pmLol! I need those too. I am one of the many who over ate last holiday season
2pots2cook
January 13, 2022 at 2:34 amWe, both, love everything to eat ( OK there are just a few exceptions ) but this is so inviting after all those holidays treats David !
Sherry M
January 13, 2022 at 11:05 pmthese sound good david. i make a cannellini and couscous burger occasionally. it’s all about the flavouring …
Diet? What Diet? – Cocoa & Lavender
January 15, 2022 at 3:08 am[…] Veggie Burgers to this. Where have all the good intentions […]
Valentina
January 16, 2022 at 2:01 pmI am a veggie burger fan when they’re packed with flavor like this one. I only recently figured out how helpful it is to “dry” the beans a bit in the oven before using them in burgers. A step not to be skipped. I’ll try these. My vegetarian son (and all of use!!) will love them, I’m sure. 🙂 ~Valentina
Marcelle
January 19, 2022 at 6:48 pmI will always have that extra slice of pie or cake during the holidays 😂 But, I feel better being more healthful for (most of) the rest of the year (and my birthday month is a free month!). I actually love the Beyond Meat and the Impossible burgers, but as Fran mentioned they are a really pricey. I will try this homemade veggie burger, David. It really looks and sounds tasty!! Love the cashews in this recipe.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 23, 2022 at 9:24 amNot only are they pricey, but they are filled with other ingredients that make me consider homemade veggie burgers that don’t taste like meat over fake meat burgers that may taste like burgers, but what am I eating? I definitely recommend this recipe Marcelle!