Vegetarian Ventures: White Bean Burgers

You may or may not know this about me yet, but...I love burgers. And even though I no longer eat meat, burgers are still one of my all-time favorite foods.

Since becoming a full-blown vegetarian, I've been experimenting with different veg-friendly burgers, including Homemade Black Bean. So, when I discovered a can of cannellini beans in my pantry the other night, I  decided to whip up a batch of white bean burgers - which I basically just made up as I went along.

White Bean Burgers
Yields: 4 burgers
-1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
-1/2 tbsp. dried parsley
-1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
-1 egg
-1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
-1 tsp. chili powder
-Salt and black pepper, to taste
-Lemon juice, to taste
-1 tbsp. olive oil
-4 whole wheat hamburger buns
-4 slices of cheddar cheese

Directions:
1.) Place beans in a food processor, and pulse until smooth.
2.) Pour the pureed beans into a large bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients (except for the egg). Add more salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed; then, add the egg and mix well.
3.) Form bean mixture into 4 patties. Place the patties on a plate, and let sit in the fridge for 20 minutes.
4.) Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Once hot, add the burgers and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until brown and crispy.
5.) Serve on whole wheat rolls with Dijon, sliced tomato and cheddar cheese. (I also served mine with Kettle Chips Spicy Thai potato chips - they are the best).

Although the texture of these burgers were surprisingly "meaty," I probably won't pulse the beans next time - I'll just mash them with a fork. Pulsing them made the mixture a little too smooth, which is why I placed them in the fridge for a few minutes - just so they were somewhat pliable. 

The chili powder, garlic and hint of parsley also worked very well together in this burger. 

Even when I still ate meat, I usually ordered a veggie burger when I went out to eat. If you're a meat eater, what's your take on vegetarian-friendly burgers?

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