Thinking of Italian food without meat or cheese doesn’t make sense to most people – but we’re here to change that! These quinoa burgers are perfect for your Sunday dinners, #MeatlessMonday menu, or to save for when BBQ season hits!
We know there are tons of veggie burgers out there (such as our deli’s delicious varieties!), but with such simple ingredients and great nutritional value these will surely stand out. A base of quinoa, cannellini beans and chickpea flour make them technically grain free (quinoa is actually a seed!); they can easily be made oil-free and pack 10g of protein per patty. How’s that for some easy plant-based protein!
The fun part comes in the toppings, though! We went ALL OUT to top these yummy burgers, thanks to the awesome sales across the store this month. Melted vegan mozzarella from store favorite Miyokos , organic roasted peppers and De Nigris’ sweet balsamic glaze to finish it off – who wouldn’t love this combo!?
With plenty of flavor it is easy to forget just how good for you these burgers are. Perfect to add into your meal prep, just add a seasonal veggie and you’re good to go!
Serves: 4-5 burgers, depending on size
Prep time: 25 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Total Time: 50 mins
Ingredients
Burgers
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp warm water)
1/3 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 can Eden Cannellini beans (on sale!)
¼ cup Chickpea flour (can sub oat flour, almond flour, or other flour of choice with varying results)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz fresh spinach, chopped
2 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp red pepper flakes (can omit if sensitive to spice)
Sea salt + black pepper, to taste
Toppings
Miyokos creamy Vegan mozzerrella
Medditeranean Organics Roasted Red Peppers
DeNigris Balsamic glaze
METHOD:
- Preheat your oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit. Then start the burgers by cooking your quinoa until fluffy and let cool. Next make your flax “egg” and set aside. While your quinoa cooks blend your cannellini beans in a food processor or blender. (Tip: We added a bit of lemon juice to help the beans blend smoothly.)
- Add all the dry ingredients into a large bowl: chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, seasonings and cooled quinoa.
- Next, sauté the onion, garlic and spinach in oil of choice or water until well cooked. Add these veggies into the dry ingredients along with the pureed beans and flax egg.
- If desired, you can add this mixture to a food processor to combine, but using your hands works just as well!
- Once everything is well combined, form the mixture into patties. Bake the burgers on a parchment lined pan for 15-25 mins, flipping halfway through. Alternatively, you may pan-fry them on the stove for 4-8 mins per side.
- Once the burgers are cooked, top with sliced mozzarella, peppers and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Add the burgers back into the oven for 1 minute to warm the cheese, if desired. Serve with a salad, seasonal veggies, or throw them on a bun. Mangia!
