Basil

Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil & White Bean Burgers

by:
March 26, 2015
3.6
8 Ratings
Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil & White Bean Burgers
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Makes about 8 patties
Author Notes

If I've said it once, I've said it every single waking hour of my life and sometimes while I'm sleeping: The best kind of cooking is the kind that involves mashing a lot of stuff together and then frying it. This iteration features the flavor power couple of sun-dried tomatoes and basil and also hits you with protein from the legume- and grain-based angles. If I had known about these burgers when I was trying to be a vegetarian in college, I may never have fallen off the wagon.

Sandwich fan? Tune into our podcast, The Sandwich Universe, where co-hosts and longtime BFFs Molly Baz and Declan Bond debate and cook up iconic sandwiches every ‘wich way. —Kendra Vaculin

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 egg
  • 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained (I used navy!)
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons (heaping! you can't have too many, to be honest) roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I had the dry kind, rather than the sort packed in oil, and I used 8 tomatoes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh basil, chopped
  • 3 teaspoons flour (most anything will work -- I used rice flour but all-purpose is perfect)
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
  • big pinch chili powder
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
  1. Crack egg into a large bowl and beat well. Add the beans and, using a potato masher or the back of a big wooden spoon, mash them together with the egg until relatively smooth but with some chunks remaining.
  2. Fold in the cooked quinoa. Then add the rest of the ingredients (...all of them. Get Oprah about it: You go in the bowl! And you go in the bowl! Yikes sorry I'll see myself out). Mix until combined.
  3. Roll small handfuls of the batter into balls the size of clementines. Press down to form a patty about 3 inches in diameter. [Editors' note: If you're having trouble getting your burgers to adhere, add another egg and mix to combine. Add a small amount of flour, just a little at a time, if the mixture is too wet.]
  4. Grease a pan and heat over medium. Cook the patties about 3 minutes a side, until golden brown.
  5. Eat them however you are craving them! Cut up on a salad (10/10), on a bun with olive tapenade or hummus and a few leaves of spinach (A+), or by itself out of a Ziploc bag from your fridge the day after tomorrow (100%).
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Kendra Vaculin

Recipe by: Kendra Vaculin

A fan of female driven comedies, a good beat, your hair today, and making foods for friends.

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28 Reviews

Barb
Barb August 30, 2023
I followed the recipe closely, and I just was not wowed with this all.
 
WIC
WIC July 26, 2023
Has anyone tried this recipe with Farro instead of the quinoa?
 
msmely
msmely April 14, 2019
Made them with one egg and 3/4 cup dry beans in the instant pot with some chicken broth. They were divine but benefitted from a sauce. I tried at various times: toum (garlic sauce), caesar salad dressing, beet caviar (Silvena Rowe by way of Heidi Swanson), tamarind chutney, or on a salad doused in vinaigrette. Reheated well from fridge temp in the toaster oven, just beware of crumbliness. I loved the alternating creamy from the beans and crispy crunch from the quinoa bits on the outside. Made them with fresh basil and the vegetable matter provided moisture as well as flavour. I used dried sundried tomatoes vs jarred in oil; I think if I were to go the dry herb route I'd use oil-packed tomatoes and a second egg. I appreciated the pastry cutter suggestion and used that and my hands to do a good job mashing. My beans were quite soft and I think that helped.
 
Sylvia
Sylvia January 16, 2018
These were excellent. I used one egg but will probably try two next time.
 
Sierra S.
Sierra S. August 13, 2017
Made these tonight and they're fantastic! I measured almost nothing and they still turned out perfect. I used two eggs and chickpeas :)
 
Dan D.
Dan D. November 1, 2016
I made these for dinner today, I loved them!! I made them vegan by using flax-egg and nutritional yeast :)
 
David H.
David H. September 8, 2016
made these late night, delicious. Handled well, and easy to form the patties. I served them with pesto sauce.
 
Nancy
Nancy June 17, 2016
It seems to me that draining and rinsing the chick peas isn't necessary, especially if you want a vegan dish. Think I'll try it that way.
 
DB
DB May 30, 2016
Anyone tried baking these in the oven?
 
Laura415
Laura415 June 26, 2017
Fried them last time but found I needed too much oil to avoid sticking. The next time, I baked them on parchment with the same amount of oil for just one batch and baked them all. Turned out excellent but much less oil. Made a lemon mayo sauce for them. Tasty!
 
Emily
Emily March 9, 2016
These are so good! I added some chopped roasted pepitas, dill, and more parm. And I used a pastry cutter to mash up the beans, which worked well and required less force than the back of spoon method. These are great kept in the fridge and after you fry them up. They heat up really well in the microwave. Definitely will be on repeat in our house!
 
kimmar3167
kimmar3167 January 27, 2016
will they freeze well?
 
Transcendancing
Transcendancing January 27, 2016
I haven't done this but I think they'd freeze reasonably. Let us know how it goes if you try it? (I would have but we had none leftover :P
 
Sarah V.
Sarah V. January 23, 2016
Could you use chick pea water instead of the egg for binding?
 
Transcendancing
Transcendancing September 6, 2015
These were delicious, I had no fresh basil on hand so used some dried basil. I also used sundried tomatoes in oil (and had to use more flour accordingly), next time I might offset that with an additional can of beans? But wow, flavour was stunning! I served these with some rocket, fried haloumi and caramelised onions. My partner is devouring his second burger as I write, so I'm pretty delighted with the result :)
 
Joanne D.
Joanne D. July 22, 2015
Yummy! It's winter in NZ so no fresh basil, can't wait to try these with basil! I used continental parsley. We enjoyed a spinach, feta and olive salad with lemon dressing alongside, plus kasundi on top. It's a keeper, thanks :)
 
Joeyman9
Joeyman9 June 8, 2015
Forgot to mention, took a cue from link lay, incorporated caramelized onions into the burger mix, thanks for the tip
 
Joeyman9
Joeyman9 June 8, 2015
Just cleaned the kitchen up, amazed by the flavor in these "burgers", considering I am a meat loving man, who scoffs at "Meatless Monday ". OMG, next time we will triple the recipe, better chance for leftovers. We enjoyed the patties without any buns, these are great without. Stumbled upon some moist dried tomatoes, they definitely added brightness to each bite. Maybe Meatless Monday's are in my future...
 
linklau
linklau May 12, 2015
Love this recipe! I love that I can make this from things I always keep in my pantry, plus fresh basil from the garden. I subbed teff because that's what I had on hand. I did think the flavor would be improved with some element of sweetness, like caramelized onions. Will either add those next time or just out some on top. My sister is a vegetarian & I'm always looking for meal ideas that she will like, that our babies will eat & that my carnivore husband will not complain about.
This is a keeper!
 
Olga S.
Olga S. April 14, 2015
Hi! thank you for the receipt. But I had some problems with it. I really don't understand how to mash dried beans with egg? The white beans are really hard for mashing!
 
Kendra V.
Kendra V. April 15, 2015
Cooked beans is the key! I used a can of pre-cooked white beans, rinsed and drained. They mash easily with the egg.
 
laurenesoltau@gmail.com
[email protected] February 21, 2021
Hi there! Will any bean work? I want to use Cannellini...
 
Kathryn
Kathryn April 12, 2015
THESE ARE INCREDIBLE and I want to eat them every day of my whole life. 10/10.
 
Y
Y April 3, 2015
Going to whip these up this weekend. They look so savoury––perfect toppers from a spring salad.