My Favorite Chickpea Veggie Burger

If you’ve been following TheIronYou for a while, you know I love me a good veggie burger just as much as the next guy. But a good one? That’s very hard to come by.
In my opinion a good veggie burger must have a well balanced mix of veggies and legumes (or grains).
It must have flavor.
It must be cooked until crisp on the outside yet a little tender on the inside.
And — last but not least — it shouldn’t be falling apart.

Enters “My Favorite Chickpea Veggie Burger”.
I feel so strong about this recipe, I wanted you to know it's my favorite.
For a brief moment I thought about calling it “epic”, “the best”, “the most awesome”, but they all seemed like a bit of an understatement.
“My Favorite” depicts exactly how I feel about it.

You should know that I have issues with choosing a favorite anything. Typically what will happen is that I name something as my favorite and then later on think of something else and start hedging and comparing the two. Then a third will enter the picture and it all just becomes a huge mess. For me to call something my FAVORITE means that it has to be better than anything else in a supermajority of categories.
So when I say that this is my favorite chickpea veggie burger, you should know that it’s really something.

I tinkered with this recipe four or five times before I got it down to what it is now. These veggie burgers not only are healthy but they are seriously hitting the spot.
The chickpeas give the perfect texture, the zucchini and carrot add a touch of color and moisture, the sweetness of the onion and the slight bitterness of the arugula balance each other perfectly. A touch of curry powder to give it an exotic flair and there you have it: the best veggie burger.
You guys are going to LOVE these burgers. They’re healthy, simple, flavorful, satisfying, loaded with good things for you, and delicious.
Try them with the yogurt mint sauce, you won’t be disappointed. Oh, did I mention each burger has nearly 15 grams of protein?
I know, good stuff.

My Favorite Chickpea Veggie Burger                                                                                             Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Makes 4 patties

Patties

1 (16 oz / 453 gr) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1 cup arugula, roughly chopped (you could use any other green such as spinach, kale or chard)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup breadcrumbs (I used Aleia's Gluten Free Panko Crumbs)

Mint yogurt sauce

1 (7 oz / 200 gr) container Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Juice of half lemon

Your favorite toppings (I used tomato slices, arugula, and onions)

Directions

Place chickpeas in a large mixing bowl and mashed them with a fork really well (alternatively you can puree them in a food processor or blender. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes, until translucent.
Add garlic, curry powder, and red pepper flakes and sautè for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add zucchini, carrot, and arugula and sauté for 5 minutes stirring frequently, until arugula is wilted and veggies are cooked.
Remove from the heat and season generously.
Add to the chickpea mixture and stir until fully combined.
Stir in the egg and the breadcrumbs and mix until the mixture is sticky and holds together. If not, add more breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture comes together.
Divide mixture into four equal portions and shape into patties. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime make the mint yogurt sauce, by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-heat and cook patties for 4 minutes on each side.
Serve on your favorite bun, with the mint yogurt sauce, tomatoes, arugula, and onions.

Nutrition facts

One patty yields 374 calories, 16 grams of fat, 49 grams of carbs, and 15 grams of protein.