Chickpea burgers
These tasty chickpea burgers are easy to make and brilliant for a healthy family dinner. The burgers are freezer friendly so perfect for making ahead. They're also vegan if you serve with dairy-free yoghurt, coconut would work particularly well.
Equipment and preparation: for this recipe you will need a food processor.
Each burger provides 423 kcal, 14g protein, 64g carbohydrate (of which 6g sugars), 13g fat (of which 1.5g saturates), 5g fibre and 2.1g salt.
Ingredients
- 3-4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú hummus
- 50g/2oz plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 50g/2oz pine nuts or cashews
To serve
- 8 pitta breads, warmed
- mixed green salad
- 8 tbsp plain yoghurt (optional)
- 8 tsp chilli sauce
Method
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 4-5 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. Stir in the cumin and coriander and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Place in a food processor, add half of the chickpeas and all of the hummus and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Blend to a rough paste.
Add the remaining chickpeas and the pine nuts. Pulse for a few seconds until the chickpeas and pine nuts have broken down but retain some texture. Season to taste.
Divide the chickpea mixture into 8 portions. Roll each into a ball, flatten between your palms into a burger shape approximately 1.5cm/½in thick.
Heat the remaining oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add the burgers in batches and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown and crisp on both sides and heated through.
Serve the burgers in pitta breads stuffed with salad leaves, with a dollop of yoghurt and chilli sauce alongside.
Recipe Tips
These burgers are delicious cold, so they make brilliant packed lunches. Mini versions of the burgers also work well as canapés, topped with a dab of chilli jam and garnished with sprigs of fresh coriander.