BBQ Veggie Burgers

A summer staple!

Memorial Day Weekend has me thinking about summer food. And what is more iconic than a burger? A long, long time ago, I went to Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe. It is such a colorful, funky restaurant with amazing food - I highly recommend it! An equally long, long time ago, I stumbled across a feature in Bon Appetit sharing Pasqual’s Quinoa Burgers that I’ve long wanted to make, but of course now it must be GF. On top of that, I thought I could add a little extra heartiness and depth of flavor, and so I set out to make the perfect summer veggie burger, inspired by Cafe Pasqual’s.

Veggie burgers can be a little crumbly, which is why I love to bake them. If you would like to grill or pan fry, you absolutely can. Due to the grains, sometimes the patty can stick, so I’d advise using non-stick, or using a grill pan to make sure your burgers don’t fall apart! Serve with pickles, chips, and your favorite GF bun. Happy Summer!

Ingredients
1 small sweet potato
1 cup cooked quinoa
3/4 cup GF breadcrumbs
1/2 cup black beans
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
1 portobello mushroom
1 small zucchini
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon GF BBQ sauce

Directions
Pro tip: make your quinoa and roasted sweet potato ahead of time. If you can’t, just leave yourself at least an hour to have your cooked sweet potato ready to work with.

Set oven to 350 degrees. Pierce 1 small sweet potato with a fork all over, and rub with olive oil. Roast for 45 min - hour (depening on size).

Get out your produce. Finely mince 1 shallot and 2 garlic cloves, and sautee in 1 tablespoon olive oil over low-medium heat. Wash 1 portobello mushroom and remove the stem. Chop into a small dice, and add to garlic/shallot mixture once they become translucent. The garlic/shallot/mushroom mixture will cook down for about 5 minutes.

Take 1 small zucchini (or 1/2 large zucchini) and use a medium sized cheese grater and grate directly onto a kitchen towel. This only takes a few seconds. When you’re done, twist the towel to absorb the extra fluid. Add to the garlic/shallot/mushroom mixture and cook for another 5 minutes.

After the veggie mixture is fully cooked, add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, a dash of pepper, and 1 Tablespoon tomato paste to the cooking veggies. Fully combine for 1 or 2 minutes, and set aside.

When your sweet potato has cooked and cooled, remove the skin and scoop 1/2 cup into a mixing bowl. Add 3/4 cup GF breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup black beans, and 1 cup cooked quinoa. Fully combine. Add 1 Tablespoon GF BBQ sauce and mix. Finally, add your veggie mixture to the dry mixture and stir. You may need to use your hands here.

Once it’s all mixed together, form into 4 patties, and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, then let cool.

Dress them up with your favorite burger toppings, chips and pickles - enjoy!