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5 from 2 votes

Beet Burgers - Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan

Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Servings: 7 4-inch burgers
Author: All recipes on jenniferskitchen.com are property of jennifer's kitchen and cannot be republished without written permission.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • 1 cup uncooked millet see note
  • 2 cups finely diced onion (about 2 medium onions)
  • 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped olives (1/3 cup whole, pitted olives)
  • 1 medium carrot (about 1/2 cup sliced)
  • 1 small/medium (5 to 6 ounce) fresh beet (3/4 to 1 cup chunks)
  • 1 cup (packed) chopped raw kale
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 pinch dried rubbed sage
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon roasted tahini

Instructions

  • Place water in a large saucepan. Begin heating over high heat. Add millet, cover, and bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes or until all water is absorbed and millet is just beginning to stick to pan.
    Do not stir millet while it is cooking.
  • Meanwhile, dice onions very, very small.
    Heat a large, wide-bottom (10-inch) soup pot over medium heat until warm.
    (Note: This recipe is oil-free and uses this dry sauté method to saute the vegetables. If you prefer to sauté with oil, add 1 tablespoon of oil to saucepan.)
    Sauté over medium-low to low heat for 10 to 12 minutes until onions are nicely browned.
  • While onions are sauteing, place pumpkin seeds in food processor fitted with the “S” blade and process until coarsely ground. Transfer to a small bowl.
  • Place olives in food processor and finely chop. Add to ground pumpkin seeds.
  • Peel carrot and beets, cut into large pieces, and place in food processor. Add chopped kale. Process until vegetables are about the size of a grain of rice. Scrape down sides of food processor once or twice during processing to ensure vegetables get chopped evenly.
    You should have approximately 1 3/4 to 2 cups of chopped vegetables.
  • When onions are brown, add chopped vegetables to onions, turn heat to medium, and continue sauteing for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Stir salt and herbs into vegetables. Add ground pumpkin seeds, olives, tomato paste, and tahini, and mix well.
  • When millet is finished cooking, remove from heat, uncover and allow to sit for 3 minutes.
  • Add millet to vegetable mixture and stir.
  • While mixture is still hot, form into burgers. Do not allow mixture to cool too much or the burgers will be difficult to shape nicely.
    Using 2/3 to 3/4 cup mixture at a time, this recipe makes 7 large (approx. 4-inch) burgers.
    Using approximately 1/4 cup mixture at a time, this recipe makes 18 to 20 small (approx. 2 1/2-inch) burgers.
  • Bake at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes. (If you would like your burgers to be more moist, cover lightly during last 10 minutes of baking.)
    Serve warm on buns with your favorite burger toppings. (These burgers taste best hot. The texture changes when they are cold. Reheat leftovers before serving.)

Notes

Cooking your millet according to this recipe ensures that your burgers will turn out right. However, if you want to use leftover millet, be sure to reheat it before using or your burgers won’t hold together.
Make Ahead Tip:
These burgers freezer very well.
To reheat, place thawed or partial thawed beet burgers in a casserole dish (lightly covered w/ foil) and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes