Baked Eggplant Burgers

Burger ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more to brush on eggplant before roasting
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 14 ounce can cannellini beans
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 an eggplant (should equal about 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup classic hummus (or your favorite flavor hummus)
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• tomato, sliced for topping (optional)
• lettuce, for topping (optional)

To make the burgers, preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Roast the eggplant by cutting it into 1/4″ slices and brushing each side with olive oil.
Bake for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the slices and bake for another 5 minutes.

 

 

While the eggplant is roasting, place the diced red onion and 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion softens.
Once the eggplant is done and you remove it from the oven, turn the oven down to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the eggplant, onion, beans, bell pepper, parsley, pine nuts, garlic, sea salt and cumin into a large bowl.

Add the hummus and stir.

Place the mixture into a food processor and blend everything together. It should only take about 15 seconds.

Pour the mixture back into a bowl, stir in the breadcrumbs, and use your hands to make four large patties.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.

Place the patties on the foil and bake for 45 minutes, turning them over halfway through.
While the burgers are baking, make the tahini sauce by tossing all of the ingredients into a food processor and blending until fully combined.
Remove the burgers from the oven and eat!

Here is the recipe for the tahini sauce in case you decide to go that route.

Tahini Sauce ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sesame tahini
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt

 

Here’s a burger topped with hummus instead of tahini sauce.

Both versions are so delicous. Maybe try one of each? Or two of each?

Thanks The tolerant Vegan