Meat-free burger magic: These Mediterranean-inspired burgers are an absolute explosion of flavour

Burgers are handheld happiness. They’re classic, timeless, and perfectly customizable. Meat-free burgers should be no different. When you scratch-make them at home, you know exactly what’s in your burgers, and can flavour them exactly how you like. These Mediterranean-inspired chickpea burgers are an absolute explosion of flavour.

Ingredients

Chickpea burger patties:

• 2x 540ml cans chickpea, drained and rinsed
• 2 free-range eggs
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
• Zest of ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp ground cayenne
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Tzatziki:

• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp finely diced cucumber
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, leaves picked
• Splash of your favourite hot sauce
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

To assemble burgers:

• 6 brioche buns, split and toasted
• ½ cup feta cheese
• 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
• ½ English cucumber, julienned
• 2 cups baby arugula leaves

Preparation

In a food processor, combine all of the chickpea burger patty ingredients and pulse until smooth, leaving a few chunks remaining for added texture (you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times during the process). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape the mixture into burger patties, using the buns as a guide for width, and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Transfer the baking sheet with the chilled burger patties to the oven and bake, flipping halfway through, for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through, crispy, and golden brown.

Meanwhile, combine all of the tzatziki ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix until combined. 
Build the burgers on toasted brioche buns with 1 tablespoons tzatziki and feta cheese, and top with fresh carrot, cucumber, and baby arugula.

Dennis The Prescott is a chef, cookbook author, and food photographer based in Moncton, New Brunswick. Prescott has amassed a devoted following of almost 500K social media followers, cooks regularly on National television in the US and Canada, and has traveled the globe with World Vision Canada and WFP, cooking from New York to Nairobi. His National bestselling cookbook, “Eat Delicious” (William Morrow/HarperCollins) was named one of the Globe & Mail’s best cookbooks of 2017. Find more of Dennis’ recipes at dennistheprescott.com, or on social media at @dennistheprescott.