Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Veggie Burger

Course: Entrees
Difficulty: Easy
Pulse Type: Chickpeas
Occasion: 4th of July, Canada Day
Nutrition: 1/2 cup serving, 500 calories or less, 7g+ fiber, 7g+ protein
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1 medium sweet potato peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 medium onion roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsps avocado oil or olive oil
  • 3 cups chickpeas cooked
  • 2 tsps cumin ground
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs (see notes for plant-based substitute)
  • 2 cups breadcrumbs divided (see notes for gluten-free alternative)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the sweet potato, onion, and garlic. Drizzle on the oil. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender and beginning to brown.
  3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°. Line an additional baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, set aside.
  4. In the basin of a food processor, combine the roasted sweet potato mixture, the chickpeas, cumin, curry powder, and salt. Pulse until the mixture forms a smooth, thick paste—scraping the sides as necessary. Don't have a food processor? Check the recipe notes for an alternative method. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
  5. Add in the eggs and 1 cup of the breadcrumbs, mix well. Continue adding breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture can easily be formed into patties.
  6. Form the mixture into six large patties and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the burgers begin to brown, feel firm, and start to crack on top. Serve immediately or freeze.
  7. To freeze, let burgers cool completely, then freeze flat on a baking sheet until solid, about 3 hours. Transfer to a labeled zip-top freezer bag. Will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. Defrost before heating in skillet, on grill, or in the oven.

Recipe Notes

This recipe makes for six, large, "meaty" burgers—want smaller or thinner burgers? You'll easily be able to get 8-10 burgs from each batch. A food processor will result in the best burgers, but if you don't have one, try this method: use a potato masher to mash together the roasted sweet potato mixture and chickpeas until they form a fine paste. Mix together with the cumin, curry powder, and salt. Then proceed with the recipe at step five. Both flax and chia eggs work in place of the eggs in this recipe. Just mix together two tablespoons of either ground flaxseed or chia seeds with six tablespoons of warm water. Let sit five minutes to thicken, then use in place of the two eggs in the recipe. Panko breadcrumbs work great in this recipe, but I frequently use oat breadcrumbs, too. Just pulse old fashioned/rolled oats in the food processor until the size/texture of breadcrumbs. Use cup-for-cup in this recipe. Make sure to use gluten-free oats if avoiding gluten. Burgers too sticky to form? Lots of variables can cause burgers to be too sticky (bigger eggs, juicier veggies, even higher humidity). If your burgers are too sticky, try chilling the mixture for 20-30 minutes before forming. You can also form the burgers with damp hands, or, as a last result, add more breadcrumbs (if you add too much breadcrumbs, you'll end up with dry, flavorless burgers).