Pizza Burgers

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp olive oil or avocado, divided
• 1/2 cup minced onion (~40 grams)
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained (reserve liquid) and rinsed
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese , plus more for serving
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning (or 1 tsp each dried basil and oregano)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup vegan-friendly bread crumbs, plus more for cooking
• 3 Tbsp marinara sauce (or pizza sauce*), plus more for topping
• 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, sauté shallot and garlic in 1 Tbsp oil (15 ml // amount as original recipe is written) over medium heat until soft and translucent — about 3-4 minutes — stirring frequently.
2. To a medium mixing bowl, add cooked garlic and shallot. Add rinsed and drained chickpeas (reserve their liquid for later use) and use a fork or pastry cutter to mash/mix. The mixture should be dough-like with only a few whole beans remaining.
3. Add remaining ingredients, starting with 2 Tbsp oil (30 ml // amount as original recipe is written). Stir to combine. A moldable “dough” should form. Add more olive oil or some of the reserved canned liquid if too dry, or more breadcrumbs or vegan parmesan if too wet. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt to taste, Italian seasoning for herbal flavor, or minced garlic for zing.
4. Heat the same skillet used earlier over medium heat.
5. In the meantime, divide mixture into 4 even 1-inch thick patties. Gently coat the burgers with additional bread crumbs and vegan parmesan cheese on both sides for more flavor and texture (optional). Handle gently as they can be fragile.
6. TO FREEZE: At this point, you can package the uncooked burger patties in a well-sealed container and store in the freezer up to 1 month (often longer). Just be sure to thaw slightly before cooking as instructed in following steps.
7. Add enough oil to form a thin layer on the bottom of hot skillet (~1 Tbsp / 30 ml), then add coated burgers. Brown for about 5 minutes on each side, reducing heat if burgers get too brown.
8. Serve burgers as is, or pop them on a baking sheet and bake in a 375-degree F oven for an additional 10-20 minutes to dry/crisp them up.
9. In the meantime, (optionally) warm up 1 cup marinara sauce (250 g // amount as original recipe is written), toast ciabatta buns, and prep parsley and onion.
10. To serve, lay down parsley (or other greens of choice) on bottom half of bun and top with burger, red onion, marinara sauce, and additional vegan parmesan cheese.
11. Leftover burgers will keep stored separate from toppings in refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month, though they’re best when fresh. Reheat in a 350-degree F oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through.