Mushroom and Brown Rice Burgers

October 5, 2012 · 4 comments

I’ve never really caught on to the veggie burger thing. Maybe it’s that I don’t really crave burgers very often and when I do, I just eat a burger. This happens probably three times in an average year. This recipe stood out for me because the ingredients were just so good-looking – a combination of nutrition, flavor, fiber and real substance. This is a veggie burger I just might like, I reasoned. Yes, the ingredient list is a little longer than I would typically tolerate. But you can make them ahead of time and leave them in the fridge overnight. I also experimented with freezing them (see tips below for details), which worked out beautifully.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 pitted dates
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 large egg
2 heaping tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon old-fashioned rolled oats, optional
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
6 whole grain English muffins
Hummus, for topping
2 ripe avocados, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh arugula

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook until water is released and mushrooms are soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, add the flax meal, Parmesan, chickpeas, dates, parsley, egg, tahini, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel chopping blade. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the room temperature mushroom mixture, any juices in the pan and the brown rice to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Check the refrigerated mushroom mixture for consistency. If it seems too wet, add the rolled oats to soak up some of the excess water. Mine wasn’t in need of oats, but I wanted to keep this step in here in case you need a way to help dry it up a bit. You can prepare the recipe to this point up to a day in advance.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Position a rack to the upper third of the oven.
Form the mushroom mixture into six to eight patties. I found that eight was about right, but if you go for six you’ll have very large, substantial burgers. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread them out so they have some space in between one another. Bake in the oven for about 14 minutes. They should look a little crispy around the edges.
While the burgers are baking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are slightly browned and the edges are a little crispy. Set aside.
Remove the burgers from the oven and allow them to rest for a few minutes. Toast the English muffins while the burgers rest. To assemble the burgers, spread hummus on one side of the English muffin, then set the burger on top, followed by shallots, sliced avocado then arugula. Serve and enjoy.
Quick Tips
1. This is sort of a Sunday recipe since it has a long ingredient list, but I did find a few shortcuts. I brought mushrooms that had been pre-sliced to save chopping time. I used canned chickpeas, which I always have on hand. I also used frozen brown rice, which produces perfectly cooked rice in about 4 minutes.
2. To freeze the burgers, shape the mixture into patties, then as if you were going to bake them right away, place the burgers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze them for about an hour, then carefully remove them from the sheet and seal them in a zip top freezer bag in one layer. Lay them flat in the freezer. To bake them, follow the same instructions above, but allow them to bake for about 20 minutes.

Preparation time: 45 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6 – 8, depending on how big you make the patties

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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Emily S October 5, 2012 at 11:51 pm

This sounds so good and I can’t wait to try it! But do you have any suggestions for a flax meal substitution?

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Alicia October 6, 2012 at 1:02 am: Good question. I actually keep flax meal on hand, but I might suggest wheat germ since it’s a similar consistency. This assumes you don’t mind adding wheat to the recipe (which, as written, is gluten free if you skip the oats or use gluten free oats). Let me know if you try that! My other suggestion would be just to skip it and use the oats to soak up some of the moisture. Thanks for your comment! I hope you like these as much as I did.

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Maryse October 8, 2012 at 11:09 pm

Eating these right now with spicy sweet potato fries… One word to describe it… Yum!!! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

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Alicia October 8, 2012 at 11:49 pm: So glad you enjoyed!

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