I love “homemade” veggie burgers when I go out but can’t convince anyone in my family to try them. I tried to make this recipe in secret and even skipped the bun, putting the patties on a bed of lettuce, to camouflage what I was really trying to get them to try. When they asked what they were eating, I said we needed to find a new name for the dish, as the name Fine Cooking had given it wasn’t appealing. After lots of suggestions and agreement that they were delicious, we finally decided on calling them… veggie burgers. Can’t pull the wool over their eyes!
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, plus 12 small leaves
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup using a rasp grater)
- 1 15-oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed – divided
- ½ cup plain panko – divided
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 medium tomato, finely diced
- 8 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 2 Tablespoons finely diced red onion
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- In a food processor, pulse the ¼ cup basil and the garlic until finely chopped. Add the Parmigiano, ½ cup of the beans, ¼ cup of the panko, egg and salt and process until smooth.
- Put the remaining beans in a large bowl and coarsely mash with a fork. Add the pureed bean and basil mixture and mix well.
- Spread the remaining ¼ cup panko on a plate. With wet hands, form the bean mixture into four ¾-inch-thick patties. Coat each patty with the panko, transfer to a plate, cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the tomato, olives, onion, balsamic vinegar and the remaining basil leaves. Set aside.
- Heat a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet on high heat until very hot, about 1 minute. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Cook the burgers, flipping once, until browned, 5 to 8 minutes total. Serve the burgers on buns or a spring-mix salad, topped with the tomato-olive relish.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Additional time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4
My Mom Likes to Cook 