Mediterranean Veggie Burgers
A secret binder makes these homemade veggie burgers hold together on a grill — overcooked pasta puréed with other party ingredients.
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A couple of other tips for success: be sure to pat the beans dry before you add them to the patty mixture, and use a stainless steel grill topper for a more stable grilling surface. Serve these mouthwatering miracles with your favorite burger buns and toppings.
Ingredients
- 4 oz. rigatoni
- 1/2 cup red quinoa
- 7 oz. low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 9 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans, or 1 15-oz. can white beans, rinsed, drained, and thoroughly patted dry
- 1/2 cup steamed broccoli
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. finely shredded green cabbage
- 3 Tbs. finely chopped red bell pepper
- 2 Tbs. Tomato Sauce
- 6 kalamata olives, sliced
- 2 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
- 2 Tbs. canola oil for oiling patties and grill topper
Preparation
1. Cook rigatoni in large pot of boiling salted water 19 minutes, or until very soft. Drain, measure out 1 1/2 cups very tightly packed rigatoni, and set aside.
2. Bring quinoa and broth to a boil in saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 13 minutes, or until slightly undercooked; some of the white germ will have opened, but much of the quinoa will still have a slight bite. Drain, and set aside.
3. Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 1 minute. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Set aside.
4. Process rigatoni and white beans in food processor 1 minute, or until smooth and paste-like (it’s OK if there are a few small bits of pasta still intact). Transfer mixture to large bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup quinoa, broccoli, cabbage, bell pepper, tomato sauce, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and onion-garlic mixture. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Mash to combine. Form 6 1/2-cup-sized patties. Brush tops of each patty with canola oil.
5. Heat grill to high heat. Brush grill topper with canola oil. Place each patty oiled-side down on grill topper. Set grill topper on grill, close grill cover, and cook 6 to 7 minutes. Brush each patty again with oil, and carefully flip. Close grill, and grill 3 to 4 minutes more.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 burger
- Calories 276
- Carbohydrate Content 41 g
- Cholesterol Content 0 mg
- Fat Content 9 g
- Fiber Content 6 g
- Protein Content 10 g
- Saturated Fat Content 1 g
- Sodium Content 257 mg
- Sugar Content 3 g