I like a good beef burger and I also like to change the meat up and so lamb, turkey, and pork make frequent appearances. Another option that I have been increasingly seeing in restaurants and that I have been getting requests for is veggie burgers or burgers made with the primary ingredient being vegetables. If you are looking for a veggie burger that reminds you of a meat burger then you have to get the texture and the flavour right, which isn’t too difficult. The basic recipe for veggie burgers is vegetables, that are cooked before adding them to the patties to remove any excess moisture, beans, a grain and often a nut to build the texture of the burger and then some seasonings to build the flavour. One of my favourite combos for the veggies are mushrooms and eggplants which are both roasted to remove the moisture and to add flavour! The eggplant is then pureed along with chickpeas to form the base of the binder of the patty. The mushrooms, chickpeas, and cashew are chopped rather than pureed to give the burgers a nice texture and the barley adds to that texture so that when you bite into the burger it feels like there is something of substance there! I add dried mushrooms, parmesan cheese, miso paste, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and Montreal steak seasoning which provide a ton of umami flavour! The final ingredient is the breadcrumbs which is the last component of the binder that helps hold the patties together. These burgers take a bit of effort to make but they are well worth it! You can make the mixture the day before and add the breadcrumbs when ready and then it only takes a few minutes to form the patties and grill them! These mushroom and eggplant veggie burgers are such an amazing way to enjoy a burger!
I stuffed these burgers with feta, sprouts, avocado, onions, and gochujang mayo! Yum!
Nice and crispy golden brown!
Add cheese!
I went with onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and gochujang mayo in the bun for these melted cheddar veggie burgers!
Mushroom and Eggplant Veggie Burgers
Tasty burgers made with mushrooms, eggplant, chickpeas, barley and cashews that are just packed with flavour and have an amazin texture.
ingredients
- 1 pound mushrooms, quartered
- 1 onion, sliced into 1/4 inch thick discs
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small eggplant
- 3/4 cup dry pearl barley
- 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 ounce dried mushrooms, pulsed in food processor to form meal
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated (omit for vegan)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (omit for vegetarian)
- 1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning (optional)
- 1 cup toasted cashews, pulsed in food process to form meal
- 1 1/2-cups panko breadcrumbs (or breadcrumbs) (gluten-free for gluten-free)
directions
- Toss the mushrooms and onion in the oil, thyme, salt and pepper and place them on a baking sheet in a single layer along with the eggplant, pricked with a fork and wrapped in foil, before roasting in a preheated 425F/220C oven until the mushrooms and onions start to caramelize, about 20 minutes, flipping them half way through. Leave the eggplant in the oven until it is completely tender on the inside, about 40-60 minutes, before letting cool, scooping out the flesh and squeezing it to drain any excess liquid.
- Cover the barley in 1 inch of water in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the barley is tender, about 20 minutes, before draining and transferring to a towel to drain.
- Puree the eggplant, 1/2 of the chickpeas, all of the garlic, dried mushrooms, miso paste, parmesan, Worcestershire sauce and Montreal steak seasoning in a food processor until smooth before setting aside in a large bowl.
- Pulse the mushrooms and onion until they form small meal with 1/16-1/8 inch pieces before adding to the bowl.
- Pulse the remaining chickpeas until they form small meal with 1/16-1/8 inch pieces before adding to the bowl.
- Pulse the cashews until they form small meal with 1/16-1/8 inch pieces before adding to the bowl.
- Mix in the barley and breadcrumbs, form into patties and cook as desired; grill them in a skillet, on the grill, under the broiler, etc.
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I love the idea to put dried mushrooms in there too! It sounds delicious!
These look really good. Do you know if they freeze well?
Can you substitute brown rice for the pearl barley?
I love your blog and recipes! Thanks for making our meals so much healthier and really delicious.
https://coolkitchenutensils.com
These seriously look like the best veggie burgers I’ve ever laid eyes on!! I cannot wait to make. I do however have some digestive disorders that limit me. So my question is, can I replace the cashews with something? And can I replace the bread crumbs with something? Maybe coconut flour??
If you can, replace the cashews with pine nuts, macadamia nuts or almonds. Otherwise use an extra cup of chickpeas that were coarsely chopped or pulsed in the food processor. Enjoy!