The chickpea vegetarian burgers are a tasty and delightful alternative to meat or fish burgers. They are very easy and quite quick to make, especially if you use pre-cooked chickpeas. They can be customized and enriched with various spices, proposed for a dinner with friends, as a snack to take to work, as a side dish or main course, or in your free time, etc. The dough of our burgers contains no eggs; instead, boiled potatoes are used to help bind the mixture. If we use gluten-free breadcrumbs, this preparation will be suitable for everyone.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 7
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 500 g cooked chickpeas
- 150 g boiled potatoes
- to taste fine salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 2 leaves fresh sage (or a pinch of dried)
- 4 stalks chives (or a pinch of dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles (or dried)
- 1/4 fresh scallion
- to taste breadcrumbs (also gluten-free)
Steps
Boil the potatoes with the skin on, and when they are cooked, peel and cut them into chunks to let them cool faster. After a few minutes, mash them perfectly with a fork until they become a smooth puree.
Drain the chickpeas from the cooking water (or the preservation liquid if you are using jarred ones) and rinse them well under running water to remove it completely. If using jarred chickpeas, make sure to remove all the foam that forms as you rinse them.
Place all the ingredients, including the spices, into a mixer bowl (except for the breadcrumbs and mashed potatoes) and blend until you obtain a soft mixture that should not be too hard or liquid.
Now add the mashed potatoes and mix with a fork until they are perfectly incorporated with all the other ingredients.
If the mixture is too dense and hard, add a tablespoon of extra virgin oil little by little, until you obtain a soft and easy-to-work dough, even if it is sticky; on the contrary, if it turns out too soft, you can add finely chopped breadcrumbs from a slice of bread or a generous tablespoon of breadcrumbs and blend to combine everything together.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take a portion of the mixture (decide the size of your burgers), coat it generously in breadcrumbs, shape it with your hands and then place it on the tray.
Once all the burgers are formed, cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour. After the time has passed, turn on the oven and set it to the highest temperature.
Take the burgers and brush them with a little extra virgin olive oil only on the side facing you.
Bake them on the lowest shelf for about 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 392°F (200°C) and carefully turn the burgers to the other side, taking care not to break them as they are very hot.
Let them cook for another 5 minutes, then turn off the oven. Do not extend the cooking time too much as they could dry out excessively on the outside.
Take them out of the oven and let the chickpea vegetarian burgers cool completely before enjoying them, accompanied by a rich and fresh salad.
Extra Idea: If you want to boil the chickpeas, soak 250 grams in a large bowl for 12 hours in enough water (since the chickpeas will increase in volume) in which you have dissolved a level teaspoon of baking soda.
After twelve hours, discard the soaking water, rinse them thoroughly under running water before cooking them in a large pot with plenty of clean water (if you want to flavor them, add 1 carrot, 1 bay leaf, and 1/2 onion) until they are tender.
At that point, turn off the heat and add 1 level teaspoon of fine salt, stir well, and let them cool.
