Do It Yourself Tuesdays: Make Your Own Veggie Burgers

You know how when you go to a restaurant and order a veggie burger, you always end up paying $8 for a tasteless circular patty of cardboard? Or, worse, a freaking Boca Burger that you can get for $.50 at home?

By Carly

Yeah, what a rip-off.

Is it that hard to make a decent veggie burger? No, and I’m here to prove it.

Seriously, restaurants have no excuse to pull that kind of crap on people. Veggie burgers are super easy to make, and make well. Next time you want a nice juicy veggie burger that actually tastes good, save your 8 bucks and hit the kitchen instead.

(This recipe is modified from Cooking for Two, a book I can’t recommend enough.)

Here’s what you need to make 4 burgers:

- Olive oil
- 2-3 green onions
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats
- 1 zucchini
- 1 large carrot or 2 small carrots
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1½ tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup flour

Veggie it Up!
Cut the green onions (use all of them, including the white parts), zucchini, and carrot(s) into large chunks and throw them into a food processor. Pulse a few times and add the oats, tahini, parsley, soy sauce, mustard, and pepper. Pulse again until the mixture is smooth. You may need to poke at it to make sure no vegetable chunks are left.

Now put the mixture in a bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for at least 1 hour and as long as 24 hours. The refrigeration is important—don’t skip it! It lets the mixture become sticky so that your burgers will hold together.

When you’re ready to make the burgers, heat up a skillet and pour some olive oil into it. Empty the ¼ cup flour onto a plate and use some of it to coat your hands. Grab handfuls of the burger mixture with floured hands and form them into patties. Coat each side of each patty with flour, then toss them on the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes per side or until they’re golden brown. YUM!

(Hot tip: If you can serve the burgers with these buns, they will be even more heavenly.)