Baked Chickpea Broccoli Patties: A Healthy Burger Option

Giving up burgers was one of the first things I wanted to do on my transition to becoming a vegan. When a recipe for chickpea and broccoli patties showed up online I knew I had to give it a try.

I am so thrilled I did. This is now a normal part of my dinner rotation. While my husband still won’t give up a burger – the kids are definitely starting to be receptive. So, if you have picky eaters like I do, you may be surprised by their reaction.

This recipe is the kind of proof needed to show that not everyday needs to be filled with carrot sticks and celery. Every day there are more and more creative people out there making amazing meals – no animal products needed!

Broccoli Patties Ingredients

This recipe is adapted from Vegetarian Times and makes approximately 4 large broccoli patties or 6-8 smaller ones.

• 1/3 cup dry couscous
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas – rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon sesame tahini
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

If tahini is not your thing, or you are having trouble finding it you can try using cashew or almond butter as a replacement.

If you are looking for a gluten free option, you can also try substituting the couscous with quinoa.

Preparation

You will need about 60-75 minutes to create these patties, but I am pretty confident you will find it worth it. These are a good meal to make that you can freeze too.

So go ahead and test out a small batch and just make 4. If you fall in love – and I know you will, you can double or triple the recipe to have some on hand on those busy weeknights.

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2

Add water and couscous to a pot and bring to boil. Remove pot from stove and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Step 3

Steam broccoli or microwave to make broccoli soft to the touch.

Step 4

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and scallions and stir occasionally until onions are softened. Remove from heat and add cumin and stir.

Step 5

Add couscous, broccoli, chickpeas, onion mix, and tahini (or other butter option) to a food processor. Once done pour mixture into a bowl and add bread crumbs. Stir thoroughly until well combined.

Step 6

Grab a small handful of mixture and create bun size patties and place on a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. I recommend not making them more than about 1/2 inch thick to ensure proper cooking on the inside.

Step 7

Bake for approximately 50 minutes. Flip patties about halfway through. Patties will be done when they start to turn brown and are a bit crisp to the touch.

So, now you have your patties, what to do with them?

You can build a burger like shown here with some lettuce, tomato, pickles to give it that more all American feel.

You can also eat it plain with some air fryer chips or place it on a slice of nordic stone bread for an extra healthy kick to your meal.