Spring Pea Veggie Burgers

Hey friends!  I made us burgers out of one freezer item + one canned bean item and every green thing you might have in your produce drawer.  

It’s more likely that I have frozen peas and a can of garbanzo beans in my kitchen than a package of meat, so I always make some sort of mishmash of a vegetable patty the is equal parts easy and satisfying.  The flavors are simple but totally malleable.  Add whatever sounds good to you.  

This is a great in between burger.  It’s something thrown together in early evening, it’s-still-sunny-outside Springtime glow.  A prelude to summer grilling.  We’re not quite there yet but we want a stacked burger sensation.

Ya feel me? 

Here’s what you’ll need for these veggie gems: 

•  peas!  You can absolutely use fresh peas if you’ve got a major surplus of peas along with the patience to sort them from their pods.  I’ve found that frozen organic peas are actually perfect in these burgers.

•  garbanzo beans, canned / drained. 

•  eggs for binding the burgers together.

•  diced onions and parsley. 

•  crumbled bread bits from a few slices of bread, dried in the oven to homemade breadcrumbs. 

•  brioche buns and toppings, mostly green- watercress, sliced cucumber, avocado, too!

Listen, I’m the first person to find a reason not to use my food processor.  It feels like such a beast and I’m convinced that blade is after me. But! A food processor is really the best tool for these burger patties.  

Mince the peas and garbanzo beans in a food processor until they still have texture but they’re on their way to paste status.  

Store-bought breadcrumbs from the canister are too fine for these veggie burgers.  

I pulled a few slices of multigrain bread from the fridge, crumbled them up, and dried them in a low oven.  

Coarse breadcrumbs – boom, done! 

Diced, raw onions will add a zip of flavor.  I love the bite.   

Eggs will bind the mixture together.  

Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper in generous amounts. 

And chopped parsley.  A bitter bite that I think compliments the onions.  We’re adding simple highlight flavors to our base notes of sweet pea and mellow garbanzos. 

Toss the ingredients around a bowl until thoroughly mixed.   

The mixture will be chunky but have enough stick to it that patties will form.  

I used a large ice cream scooper to potion six even portions.  And I found that slightly damp hands will make pressing the patties together a less sticky situation.  Rinse your hands as often as you need. 

Pea bits.  Bean bites.  Onion and flecks of parsley.  

Chill the patties before pan frying. 

A chill really does solve a multitude of issues, in and out of the kitchen. 

I find that these patties are best pan-fried from chilled.  These aren’t durable enough for a grill cook and tend to fall apart a bit if they’ve been frozen.  

The patties are pan fried to golden and that butter brioche bun is slathered with spicy sriracha mayo. 

Warm veggie patty + a sliced cucumber.

Season as we go! 

Sea salt and cracked pepper atop the avocado and sliced cucumbers.  

Watercress is a great green for these spring burgers.  They’re earthy and bright with a hint of grassy spice. Did I sell that or scare you? 

And! One of my very favorite discoveries: Mustard Pickle Relish from Stonewall Kitchen.  

It’s exactly what you think it is and it’s perfect.  

It’s stacked tall and filled with veggies and beans!  These burgers are satisfying and filling, lightly sweet and wholly dosed with leafy greens.  

I served these burgers with sweet potato fries and the leftovers I ate for the next three days straight. This is LIVING.

Photographs with my dear friend Jon Melendez.

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