Veggie Burgers

Finally. Finally I made a veggie burger!

The key to this veggie burger is to sear it well on a very hot skillet in order to get a nice crust on the outside. The chopped walnuts add a nice texture to the patty and the lemon juice really brighten up all the flavors.

I'm really excited about this veggie burger, so I'll get right to it!

I started by cooking the garbanzo beans. I'm trying to use as few canned items as possible but you may certainly use canned beans. Remember if you use fresh garbanzo beans you must soak them overnight. If not, they may never soften.


Any color bell pepper will work for this recipe. I happened to have orange, yellow and red bell peppers on hand because they were on sale this past week at the grocery.


I did not find it necessary to use any eggs in this recipe. The olive oil from saute will help to bind the ingredients. The patty will be a bit delicate but as long as you're not too rough when handling it, you should not have any problems. When you cook this patty, you should only flip it only once. Start with a hot skillet and hot oil, place the patty on the skillet, after about 3-4 minutes flip it and finish searing it on the second side. Don't be tempted to flip it back and forth several times.

2 cups of cooked garbanzo beans.
2 cups of cooked lentils
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1/3 cup of wheat germ
3/4 cup of toasted chopped walnuts
2 cups of diced onion
1 cup of diced bell peppers (any color)
4 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup of finely chopped parsley
Juice of half a lemon
A pinch or two of crushed red peppers
Salt and pepper

In medium-high heat, saute the onions and bell peppers in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic, crushed red peppers and cook for another 3 minutes. Generously season with salt, pepper, any house seasoning of your preference (I used Tony Chachere's) and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the juice of half of a lemon and about half of the parsley. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the garbanzo beans and lentils. Mash with a potato masher until half of the beans are mashed. If you don't have a potato masher, use the back of a spatula. Add the rice, wheat germ, the rest of the parsley and toss with a spatula until all ingredients are blended. This mixture should be very moist and "mooshy." If for some reason you find that it's too dry, add a little olive oil.

You can make the patties as thick or as thin as you like. I made medium-thick patties and I was able to get 10 patties out of this recipe. These patties can be refrigerated or frozen. It is optional to coat the patties with bread crumbs or wheat germ. You will get a crispier crust with the bread crumbs or wheat germ but as long as you sear the patties well, I don't think it's necessary to coat them.

Make sure your pan and oil are hot before cooking the patty. This way you'll get a nice crust on the outside. Each side should take about 3-4 minutes to cook.

Serve on a toasted bun with condiments and toppings of your choice. I hope you enjoy. My husband and I really enjoyed these!

2 cups diced onion, 1 cup diced bell peppers, 4 garlic cloves, 1/3 cup parsley.

It is optional to crust your patties with bread crumbs or wheat germ.
This recipe should make about 10 patties. 

I topped my veggie patty with avocados, tomatoes and romaine.