Description
Packed with amazing flavor, this Vegan Patty Melt Burger is healthy and delicious with a perfectly crunchy exterior and a tender, but not mushy, interior. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- ½ medium yellow onion, chunked
- 1 cup rolled oats *
- ½ cup cremini mushrooms, diced *
- ½ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
Bean Ingredient:
- 1 – [ 15 oz. can ] black beans, drained and rinsed
Other Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons flax meal
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion flakes
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Optional Toppings:
- Sautéed mushrooms *
- Sautéed onions *
- Vegan Tangy White Cheese Sauce
Serving Ideas:
- Burger bun
- Sandwich bread
- Lettuce wrap
- Tortilla wrap
- Cut up on a salad/bowl
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Place all the Spice/Herb Ingredients into a small bowl, set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Add the onions, oats, mushrooms, and sunflower seeds into a food processor and process just until minced, do not pulverized them.
- Then add the Bean Ingredient: black beans and pulse off and on just until the beans are broken up. Do not over-process and turn the mixture into mush. Then place the mixture into a large bowl.
- Then add the remaining Other Ingredients and Spice/Herb Mix, and mix well by using your hands until everything is well combined and sticks together.
- Take approx. 1/2 cup of the mixture, form a smooth ball, then flatten into a 1-inch thick burger patty and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue until all the burger patties are made. (See notes on burger formation)
- Place in a preheated 350 F oven (center rack) and bake for 15 minutes, then flip, and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 2 minutes to set up before serving topping with our Vegan White Cheese Sauce, and some sautéed mushrooms and onions.
Notes
*Tips for Success:
- Burger Patty Mixture: Do not place everything into a food processor to process. We tried that and the mixture becomes too wet and mushy. After you process the onion, oats, cremini mushrooms, and sunflower seeds to a mince, then add the black beans and pulse just until they are broken up. Do not over-process them. You still want to see pieces of black beans in the mixture, then dump the mixture into a large bowl and add in the other ingredients and mix by hand. Note: If you do accidentally over-process the mixture and it is too wet, place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer until the mixture is no longer too wet to handle.
- Burger Formation: Really pack the burger tightly in your hand to form a firm cohesive ball, then press down while still in your hands and form a flattened disk. Take the time to really smooth out the sides. This helps prevent the disk from cracking while it is baking. They may crack a tiny bit, but you want to make sure you want to shore up the edges before it goes in the oven. This makes 5 large burgers or 6 medium burgers.
- Thickness of the burger: The thickness of this burger is another area within your control. We made multiple kitchen tests and preferred a 1-inch thick burger. You can make them thicker, but you may need to increase your oven time to 20 minutes, then flip and another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Tasting the burger before baking: We sometimes like to taste the burger before baking to get a feel for what it is going to taste like. We did that with this burger, and it had a very “oaty” and almost “salty” taste to it. The good news is that both of these things completely disappear while baking, and the burgers turned out absolutely amazing.
Notes Continued:
*Cremini Mushrooms: Measurement of ½ cup is after the mushrooms have been diced.
*Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.
*Rolled Oats: Use whole grain rolled oats, not instant oats. We used Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats (Whole Grain) .
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions: A traditional Patty Melt is topped with Swiss Cheese and sautéed mushrooms and onions. We sautéed some mushrooms and onions by placing the sliced mushrooms and onions into an enamel/ceramic lined skillet. We cooked them over medium-high heat and added a few splashes of water until the mushrooms and onions had cooked down and were perfectly tender.
*Serving: 5 to 6 burgers
*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 7 days. Freezes well.