Quinoa Burger Recipe
This quinoa burger recipe is crispy on the outside, soft within, and overflowing with delicious flavors. Made with fresh herbs, dried tomatoes, and almonds, this burger is loved by vegetarians and carnivores alike!
Servings: 4
Calories: 253kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup dry Red Quinoa (or preferred color)
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes, drained
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds, toasted
- ¼ cup gluten-free bread crumbs (see notes)
- ¼ cup yellow onion, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- a few turns of freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil for the pan
Instructions
- Cook quinoa. Pour the broth into a small pot, place it over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
- Blend remaining ingredients. Add the basil, sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, bread crumbs, onion, Parmesan, garlic, egg, salt and a few turns of black pepper to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend until it's a fairly smooth consistency. It should be thick and almost paste-like. Use a rubber spatula to transfer this to a large mixing bowl.
- Combine everything together. Add the cooked and cooled quinoa to the bowl and mix until it's evenly incorporated into the sun-dried tomato mixture.
- Shape. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can either make 4 big, or 6 small burgers. For the large, they should be a bit less than ½ cup each, and for the small, about ⅓ cup each. The measurements are a guideline, you just want them to be as evenly sized as possible. (If you have an ice cream scoop about the right size, it's the easiest way to shape them.) Gently use the palm of your hand to press each one into a nice round shape. Set aside.
- Sauté. Generously coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil and place it over medium-high heat. Once the pan is very hot, use a flat-bottomed, metal spatula to place the burgers into the pan, with a couple of inches between them. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in two batches.) You should hear a sizzling sound — if you don’t, the pan isn't hot enough. (In order for them to crisp nicely, wait for the sizzle.) Sauté for about 2 minutes, then carefully flip the burgers over and reduce the heat to medium-low, and sauté for another few minutes or so, until the bottom is golden brown and they hold together well. Place the cooked burgers on a plate and cover with foil until you're ready to serve.
Notes
Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 815mg | Potassium: 387mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 679IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 2mg