Delicious and totally gluten-free, these quinoa-eggplant burgers were a huge hit with vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. A crowd pleaser!
The theme of this week for me has been all about autumn recipes, and this recipe is no exception. This final recipe was celebrating tri-color (or rainbow) quinoa, which just so happens to be my personal favorite!
I went the vegetarian direction with this one, since I know many of you avoid meat, and I'm sure the rest of you appreciate a vegetarian meal sprinkled in on occasion – Meatless Monday anyone?
I've always been a fan of eggplant, but haven't done much out-of-the-box thinking with it. It's usually just the basics (which are delish), but that gets boring after a while.
So…I decided to turn them into burgers. And added quinoa (rainbow this time!) of course.
I was craving a veggie burger when I whipped up these quinoa-eggplant burgers, but I wanted to do something different. Something that wasn't my same old-same old. To add a creamy texture and smoky flavor, I roasted the eggplants before pureeing them with white beans, quinoa and a few other ingredients.
These eggplant burgers were not only delicious served as above (on a homemade gluten-free english muffin, sliced tomato, and lettuce), but also tasted great the next served over a bed of mixed greens and drizzled with a creamy cashew dressing. This might just be my new favorite veggie burger recipe!
Quinoa-Eggplant Burgers
Ingredients
- for the eggplants
- 2 large eggplants cut into 1" cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- for the burgers
- 1 shallot diced
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 can white beans drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup cooked rainbow quinoa
- 1/4 cup romano cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the eggplant with the oil, salt and pepper the roast until softened, 25 - 40 minutes.
- Add the roasted eggplant to the bowl of a food processor fit with the steel blade and pulse a few times. Add the shallot and white beans and process until almost smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until a dough forms (this will be a little soft, but that's okay).
- Using wet hands, shape the dough into patties and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (this will help them firm up).
- 15 minutes prior to cooking the burgers, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, flipping the patties halfway through.
- Serve warm on a toasted gluten-free bun with your desired toppings.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
