Meatless Cheeseburger Recipes

CHEESEBURGER MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a broiler pan with nonstick spray.
• Mix together the bread and milk in a bowl and set aside.
• Add the ground beef, bacon, eggs, chopped red onion, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to a large bowl. Add the soaked bread and mix with your hands, trying to keep the mixture light. Gently mix in the cubed Cheddar, making sure to distribute it evenly throughout the meat.
• Form the meat mixture into a loaf approximately 6 to 8 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches thick on the prepared pan. Mix the grated yellow onion with the remaining 1 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in another bowl. Spread half of the sauce on top of the meatloaf. Tent the pan with foil and bake for 1 hour.
• Remove the foil, add the rest of the sauce and continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F and the meatloaf is no longer pink in the middle, another 35 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle on the grated Cheddar and return to the oven for 5 minutes to melt. Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before removing to a platter.
• Slice and serve with the sliced red onions and dill pickle chips.

MEATLESS BURGERS

Steps:

• Pulse onion and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add 1 can black beans, egg, cilantro, parsley, red pepper flakes, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce; pulse to combine.
• Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining black beans and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix until well combined, adding up to 2 tablespoons bread crumbs if mixture seems too wet.
• Divide mixture into 6 portions and form into patties.
• Heat oil in a large grill pan over medium-low heat. Place patties on the hot pan and cook until heated through, about 6 minutes a side.

VEGGIE BURGERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan/convection).
• Pile mushrooms on a baking tray. Drizzle over oil, toss, then spread on the tray.
• Spread beans on another tray, sprinkle carrots all over.
• Put beans on top shelf and mushrooms on the shelf underneath.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until surface of beans is dried out and splitting and they look thoroughly unappetising, and the carrots around the edge of the tray are a bit golden. (Note 5) Remove tray with beans from oven.
• Move mushrooms to top shelf, bake for further 10 minutes until dried out and wrinkly. Remove from oven, cool.
• Place cashews in food processor. Blitz until they are breadcrumb size, don't blitz to powder.
• Add beans, mushrooms and carrot. Blitz on high for 10 seconds or until chopped to large crumb size (see video and photos).
• Add breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan, garlic, paprika, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Blitz for 15 - 30 seconds until it comes together like meat burger mixture but you can still see bits in it. (Note 6)
• Add rice and shallots, blitz for 2 seconds until just dispersed (over blitzed rice = gluey).
• Mixture should hold together well to form patties, but not stick to hands. If too wet, add breadcrumbs. If too crumbly, blitz more.
• Shape into 4 - 6 patties, between 1.5 - 1.8cm / 0.6 - 0.7" thick and 10cm / 4" wide (Note 7). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Cook burgers cold, straight from the fridge.
• Heat 2 - 3 tbsp olive oil skillet on the stove over medium to medium-high heat.
• Add 3 - 4 patties and cook until deep golden and crispy, 4 minutes. Carefully flip then cook the other side for 4 minutes until golden, then transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain.
• Cook cold, straight from fridge. Brush BBQ and Veggie patties with oil. Heat BBQ to medium high. Cook 4 minutes each side until a nice dark crust forms.
• Toast buns, spread top bun with relish or sauce of choice. Top with your choice of burger fillings and the Veggie Burger, then more sauce if desired.

THE BEST VEGAN BURGER

Steps:

• Drain the chickpeas and sweetcorn, then tip into a food processor. Pick the coriander leaves, adding half the leaves and all the stalks to the processor.
• Add the spices, flour and a pinch of sea salt, finely grate in the lemon zest, then pulse until combined, but not smooth - you want to retain a bit of texture.
• On a flour-dusted surface, divide and shape the mixture into 4 equal-sized patties, roughly 2cm thick. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
• Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the patties and cook for 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through, turning halfway.
• Meanwhile, click off, wash and spin-dry four nice lettuce leaves, then finely slice the tomatoes horizontally.
• Squeeze a large dollop of ketchup onto the base of each bun (toast them if you like), then top with the burgers. Layer over a couple of slices of tomato, a lettuce leaf, a few coriander leaves and finally the burger tops. Delicious served with a fresh green salad.

THE BEST VEGGIE BURGER (BETTER THAN STORE-BOUGHT)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil, parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
• Using a damp paper towel, brush all dirt from mushrooms. Cut away and discard any hard stems. Roughly chop the mushrooms, carrot, broccoli and onion into 1/2-inch chunks. Toss vegetables into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, olive oil, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper. Close the lid and pulse 10 to 20 times until coarsely ground.
• Spread the ground vegetables onto one of the lined baking sheets. Pat them down with a spatula until a very thin layer of vegetables covers the majority of the baking sheet. Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes. (If the veggies around the outer edges start to turn dark brown, stir and press them back down into a thin layer).
• Meanwhile, spread the drained black beans onto the second baking sheet in one layer. When the vegetables have roasted for 15 minutes, stir them and press into a thin layer once more. Transfer both baking sheets (vegetables and the black beans) to the oven. Roast until the beans begin to split and look dry and the vegetables look drier and toasted, about 15 minutes. Let everything cool.
• While the beans and vegetables roast, rinse the food processor bowl and pat dry.
• Place the walnuts, spinach and fresh herbs in it. Pulse until they are about the size of breadcrumbs.
• Add cooled beans and pulse 5 to 10 times until the beans look crumbly with large crumbs.
• Add the roasted vegetables, panko breadcrumbs, eggs and the tomato paste. Pulse until everything is just combined. You want to keep some texture, don't pulse until a smooth mixture.
• Scrape the mixture into a bowl and fold in the rice.
• Refrigerate the veggie burger mix up to 24 hours. Or make patties, cook them and freeze wrapped in foil up to 3 months.
• When you are ready to make the burgers, divide into 8 equal portions (about 3 1/4 ounces or 90 grams each). Form each portion into a 1/2-inch thick patty.
• Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, and then place patties in one layer. (We use about 1 tablespoon of oil to cook 4 burgers). Cook until heated through, firm and browned on both sides, about 4 to 6 minutes on each side. If any bits fall from the sides as you flip, press them back into the sides of the patty. Be careful when flipping so they stay together.
• For an outdoor grill, we recommend placing a cast iron pan or griddle over a low fire to cook the burgers.
• To reheat frozen cooked burgers: Bake in a 350 degree F oven until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Or reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes on each side. We do not recommend microwaving the patties (they steam and become floppy).

PERFECT BEEF BURGERS

Steps:

• Sprinkle the ground beef evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Gently form the meat into 4 balls, then lightly press into 4-inch-wide, 1-inch-thick patties. Make a 2-inch-wide indentation in the center of each with your thumb to prevent the burgers from bulging when grilled.
• Preheat a grill to high. Season the patties with salt and pepper. Grill, undisturbed, until marked on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and grill until the other side is marked and the patties feel firm, 3 to 5 more minutes; if desired, top each burger with 2 slices cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking and cover with a disposable aluminum pan to melt.
• Serve the patties on the buns; top with lettuce and tomato.

SWEET POTATO-BLACK BEAN BURGERS

Steps:

• Squeeze grated sweet potato with paper towels to remove excess moisture; place in a large bowl. Pulse oats in a food processor until finely ground; add to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Add beans, scallions, mayonnaise, tomato paste, curry powder and salt to the bowl; mash the mixture together with your hands. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Place the patties on a plate; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Stir yogurt, dill and lemon juice together in a small bowl; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
• Divide the yogurt sauce evenly among top and bottom bun halves. Top each bottom bun half with a burger and cucumber slices; replace top bun halves.