Beetroot veggie burgers
This juicy beetroot burger is topped with hummus and avocado with a halloumi and sweet potato salad. But the burgers are great on their own for a healthy dinner, too.
Ingredients
For the beetroot burger
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 raw beetroots, peeled and grated
- 1 courgette, grated
- 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
- 100g/3½oz porridge oats
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 large free-range egg yolk
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sweet potato salad
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm/½in-thick rounds
- 200g/7oz halloumi, cut into 1cm/½in-thick slices
- 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 red chillies, thinly sliced
- 6 handfuls mixed salad leaves
- 2 cooked beetroots, cut into 1cm/½in cubes
For the dressing
- handful fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 lime, juice only
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
To serve
- 6 wholewheat sourdough buns, halved
- 230g/8oz hummus
- 2 avocados, sliced
- ½ red cabbage, shredded
Method
To make the beetroot burger, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion and garlic for 4–5 minutes, or until soft. Add the grated vegetables and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until soft. Drain away any excess liquid released by the vegetables.
Place the oats, chickpeas, tahini and egg yolk in a food processor and pulse to combine. Tip the mixture into a bowl and stir in the grated vegetables, spring onions and coriander. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture into six and shape into burgers. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
Meanwhile, to make the salad, place a griddle pan over a high heat or preheat a barbecue.
Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the sweet potatoes and halloumi slices, scatter over the garlic and chillies and season with black pepper. Cook on the hot griddle or barbecue, turning once, until cooked through.
Meanwhile, beat together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Mix with the salad leaves and cooked beetroots and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the burgers, in batches if necessary, for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden and hot through.
To serve, lightly toast the sourdough buns and top each base with hummus, avocado, red cabbage, a beetroot burger and the bun lid. Serve each burger with a handful of salad leaves topped with the griddled sweet potatoes and halloumi.
Recipe Tips
You can customise these brilliant beetroot burgers by adding 2-3 teaspoons of your favourite spice blend, such as Cajun spice, ras-el-hanout, garam masala or harissa are all great.
These burgers freeze brilliantly. Place them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and freeze for an hour. Then transfer the burgers to a sealed box or bag and they're ready to cook from frozen. For best results, bake on an oiled tray in a preheated oven at 200C/180C (fan)/Gas 6 for 20 minutes, flipping once during cooking.
