I actually can't believe that my bean and zucchini cutlets now have a serious competitor. That is fine, they held the throne long enough. I carefully have to pick my words here to do some justice for these mindblowingly delicious meaty beet and pickle burgers.
Me and my boyfriend have a pretty awesome tradition. Each year on our birthday, we bake each other an humongous veggie burger. It started many years ago and every time the burgers get bigger, better and more badass (that's the Gears Of War reference for the gamers out there). I am talking about a burger the size of your head, or even larger! Check out this beauty I got this year.
One year I really had to ask my love how on earth did he make such a great patty. He said he used both canned beans and chickpeas. That is genius! Beans are a good binder and they also keep the patties moist. But chickpeas will make the patties more firm. Put them together and you have a perfect vegan burger patty dough!
But why are these burgers so special? First of all, they have the perfect patty dough. That means they hold together really well and they are not dry neither mushy. Just perfect. Second, they are easy to make - no soaking or boiling here. Just mash the beans with your hands, add chopped veggies, grated uncooked beet, seasonings and flour. Then form the patties and cook away. Third - they contain pickles! What a fine idea to add chopped pickles to the patty dough. Little crunchy and juicy gems. And finally - they are absolutely delicious and come in jumbo size. What more could you want for? The easiest and tastiest beet burgers are screaming for your name now. Give them a try and make yourself happy!
And before cooking, don't forget to check out these little tips and tricks for the perfectly crispy patties.
Preparation time: about 40 minutes
Serves: 10 very large patties
Ingredients:
For the burger patties:
- 14 oz / 400 g canned beans (kidney beans for example)
- 14 oz / 400 g canned chickpeas
- 2 medium onions (1 cup when chopped)
- 1 medium beet (1 ½ cup when grated)
- 2 large pickles (½ cup when chopped)
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 heaping tsp dried marjoram (or other dried herbs)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 cup / 180 g whole-wheat flour
+ oil for cooking
For the burger sauce (make a double batch, if needed):
- 4 heaping Tbsp vegan mayo (or use store-bought)
- 2 heaping Tbsp ketchup
- pinch of salt and pepper
+ burger buns, pickles and onions for serving
Directions:
Drain and rinse the beans and mash them with your hands. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and mash them. Add them to the mashed beans. No need to make baby food here, you can leave some of the peas whole. Add thinly chopped onions, grated raw beet, chopped pickles, chopped garlic cloves, dried marjoram, salt, curry powder and whole-wheat flour. Mix everything together with your hands.
Heat up a pan and pour a couple of tablespoons of oil in it. Form large burger patties (as wide as your burger buns) and cook them until crispy on one side. Use a thin spatula to flip the over. Cook until crispy on the other side. Continue, until you are out of the patty dough.
For the sauce, mix all the ingredients. Now assemble the burgers: spread some sauce on the bottom of the burger bun, add the patty, now spread some sauce again, add pickle slices and onion rings, then more sauce and top it of with a burger bun. Enjoy!
