Food nerd and host of The Urban Vegetarian, Desiree Nielsen has a knack for making amazing and healthy meals. For this recipe, Desiree shares her tips for iron-packed veggie burgers that are filled with spinach and fresh basil from her herb garden.
makes 3-4 patties
Ingredients:
1 15-ounce (425 g) can lima beans, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups (350 ml) baby spinach
Boiling water, for wilting spinach
2 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
Olive oil, for sautéing leeks and frying the patties
1/3 cup (80 ml) basil, chopped
1 cup (240 ml) whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 ounces (75 g) grated Emmental cheese
Salt and pepper
Method:
Place the lima beans in a medium bowl and mash with a fork.
Place the spinach in a colander and pour over boiling water to wilt.
Drain the spinach well, pressing with the back of a spoon to remove excess water.
Chop the wilted spinach into small pieces and add to the bowl with mashed beans.
Heat olive oil in a skillet, add leeks and sauté 1-2 minutes, until soft.
Scrape the cooked leeks into the bowl with mashed beans and spinach and stir to combine.
In the same bowl, add the basil, breadcrumbs, egg, and grated cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir all to form a thick dough.
Form the dough into burger patties with hands. For best results, chill for 1 hour before cooking to allow patties to firm up.
Heat more olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
Add the patties, in batches if needed, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
Fry 2-3 minutes without disturbing, until one side is golden brown, then flip to fry other side.
When both sides are golden and the patty is cooked through, serve immediately with your favourite burger accompaniments.
Enjoy!
