The secret “glue” that holds homemade veggie burgers together on an outdoor grill is overcooked pasta. A couple of other tips for success: Be sure to pat the beans dry before you add them to the patty mixture, and use a stainless-steel grill topper for a more stable grilling surface. Serve these mouthwatering miracles with your favorite burger buns and toppings.
YIELD: MAKES 6 BURGERS
4 oz. rigatoni pasta
½ cup red quinoa
7 oz. low-sodium vegetable broth
1½ tsp. olive oil
¾ cup chopped onion
9 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1½ cups cooked white beans, or 1 15-oz. can white beans, rinsed, drained, and thoroughly patted dry
½ cup steamed broccoli
¼ cup plus 2 Tbs. finely shredded green cabbage
3 Tbs. finely chopped red bell pepper
2 Tbs. tomato sauce
6 Kalamata olives, sliced
2 oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
2 Tbs. canola oil for oiling patties and grill topper
- Cook rigatoni in large pot of boiling salted water 19 minutes, or until very soft. Drain, measure out 1½ cups very tightly packed rigatoni, and set aside.
- Bring quinoa and broth to a boil in saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 13 minutes, or until slightly undercooked; some of the white germ will have opened, but much of the quinoa will still have a slight bite. Drain, and set aside.
- Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 1 minute. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more.
Set aside. - Process rigatoni and white beans in food processor 1 minute, or until smooth and paste-like (it’s OK if there are a few small bits of pasta still intact). Transfer mixture to large bowl. Stir in ¾ cup quinoa, broccoli, cabbage, bell pepper, tomato sauce, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and onion-garlic mixture. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Mash to combine. Form 6 ½-cup-sized patties. Brush tops of each patty with canola oil.
- Heat grill to high heat. Brush grill topper with canola oil. Place each patty oiled-side down on grill topper. Set grill topper on grill, close grill cover, and cook 6 to 7 minutes. Brush each patty again with oil and carefully flip. Close grill, and grill 3 to 4 minutes more.
VEGAN
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 276
Protein: 10 g
Total Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 41 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 257 mg
Fiber: 6 g
Sugar: 3 g
