Chickpea Burgers

I have been wanting to try more vegetarian recipes lately. However, my husband loves meat. So I have to tread lightly and not go overboard with an entirely meatless menu plan. I came across a recipe for Chickpea Burgers a while back, and finally had the chance to try it. They were a hit!

I made quite a few changes to the original recipe to suit our family's tastes. You can certainly change the spices up. We love onion and garlic, but cumin would make a nice addition too.

I was hoping that this would be both meat-loving husband approved as well as picky preschooler approved. The preschooler said she liked it but only ate two bites. So one out of two isn't bad.

Chickpea Burgers

2 cups soaked, cooked, and drained chickpeas
1 medium carrot
1/2 large onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs
1/2-1 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
a dash of crushed red pepper flakes
a splash of lemon juice
1 egg

Combine all ingredients except egg in a large food processor. (Mine isn't big enough, so I did the vegetables first, then the chickpeas, crackers, and seasonings.) Empty into a large bowl. Add egg, and mix until well combined.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil. Make small, flat patties of the chickpea mixture, and cook patties until golden brown on each side. (about 3-5 minutes)

Serve as you would a regular burger.

Makes 10 patties
Serving size: 2 patties