Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers
Isn’t is so nice to walk in the door, pull something yummy out of the freezer, and be eating dinner in 10 minutes? That’s what I love about these Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers.
Not only do they make a great freeze-ahead-and-heat-when-ready meal, but they are super good-for-you. A much healthier and skinnier (and tastier) version than any veggie burger you find in the freezer aisle.
The Skinny on these Burgers
Why are these homemade veggie burgers skinnier than your average veggie burgers?
- No soy protein isolate. Nope.
- No textured vegetable protein. Nada.
- There’s a load of veggies in there. Yes!
- And they can be made gluten-free if you desire.
My weird ingredient policy
Normally, when I see a recipe that has some weird ingredient in it like purple carrot noodles or coconut nectar, I usually head straight for that little “X” on the top right of my screen. Honestly, I just don’t have 6 1/2 hours to track down fresh squeezed wheat grass to make a batch of raw, organic, green brownies.
That said, sometimes a dish is so delish that it’s worth a weird ingredient or two … and sometimes, after I find out how easy it is to order it from Amazon, I decide it isn’t so weird after all.
I think you’ll agree these Mediterranean Burgers are worth the two little clicks it takes to send these sun-dried tomato sprinkles on their little way to your very own kitchen.
How We Like It
These amazing burgers are great on a bun with all your favorite fixins’. But they are so flavorful (thank you sun-dried tomato sprinkles) that they are even great on their own.
Enjoy!
Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flax seed meal - finely ground flax seed
- 1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) - with liquid
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs - use gluten-free bread crumbs if you want these to be gluten-free
- 1/3 cup very finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons organic cornstarch - or tapioca starch, or potato starch
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest - scant
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups (1.6 ounces) fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley - (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup packed parsley leaves and small, tender stems)
- 2 tablespoons chopped black olives
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup minced fresh onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flax meal and 2 tablespoons liquid from chickpeas. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, place breadcrumbs, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, starch, lemon zest, and seasonings in a mixing bowl.
- Place spinach in food processor and coarsely chop. Transfer to mixing bowl.
- Place parsley in food processor and chop fine. Transfer to mixing bowl.
- Stir in olives, garlic, minced onion, oil, tomato paste, and flax mixture. Mix well.
- Drain remaining liquid from chickpeas. Place drained chickpeas in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Process until coarsely ground. (Recipe can be doubled, but do not process more than 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas in food processor at one time. There should be very few whole chickpeas left, but do not over process or you will have a mush.)
- Transfer to mixing bowl. Mix very well.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil.
- Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, form mixture into balls. Place on baking sheet and press to form into patties.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
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I don’t have an oven, could i use a pan instead? Been on your website for over an hour, loving your recipes!!
Oh, and what can I replace the flax seeds with?
The flax seed helps hold them together. If you are ok with “Mediterranean Chickpea Hash” 🙂 then you could just leave the flax seed out. Otherwise …. hmmmm …. I’m not sure. You could try chia seed meal, but I don’t think the flavor would be right.
I’ve never tried these in a pan; but my guess is that they would work ok. Your biggest challenge would be getting them done on the inside.
What could I sub for the oil this recipe?
What is the purpose of the oil for all the extra far oil is? What is a good oil replacement for oil that would be added to a savory recipe? Could I sub in flax seed egg? If so, how much flax seed egg mixture would I use? Thanks so much. Diane
HI Diane,
The oil in this recipe helps to keep the burgers moist and make them a little “richer”; however, when I make them for myself I omit the oil and I think they taste good.
I’ve never tested these with flax egg, so I’m not sure how that would work. I think, because the flax gets whisked in with the chickpea liquid, that it would be best to stick with the flax meal.
I hope this helps.
Jennifer