Looking for a plant-based burger with a texture meaty enough for your average carnivore?
“My nine-year-old son claims he hates mushrooms…but he loves these burgers. The secret? Black beans mixed with mushrooms and farro for a meaty texture—without all the additives and junk that’s in some packaged veggie burgers,” says chef Roberto Martin, author of Roberto’s New Vegan Cooking (Da Capo Lifelong)
These patties can be made up to two days ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer until ready to use, or cook up a double batch and freeze half.
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced small
1 lb button or Cremini mushrooms, chopped small
1 cup dry black beans cooked until tender and strained or 2 (15 oz)
cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup dry farro, simmered in 3 cups water until tender and drained
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
A few dashes hot sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper to taste
2 tbsp high-heat oil like grapeseed or safflower
Note: If you want to grill the veggie burgers, cook them first as instructed above and allow them to cool on a sheet tray; then grill them until warm inside, about 2 minutes per side. Cooking them in a pan dries them out a little bit and forms a crust, which will allow them to stay together on the grill.
Yields: 8 burgers
Source: Excerpted with permission from Roberto’s New Vegan Cooking by Roberto Martin (Da Capo Lifelong)
