Beetroot Burgers (with In & Out Burger Sauce)

One of our favorite plant-based meals at a nearby restuarant is the beetroot burger that's packed with flavor, leaves you feeling full and satisfied. I have to admit, I'm hit or miss with beetroot, sometimes it tastes like dirt to me and other times I enjoy it. I developed this recipe and my husband loved it. I love that the patties are oven baked and you can forget about them while you prepare a platter with the burger toppings: red onion, tomato, lettuce and pickles! The food processor is a must for this recipe since you will grind everything to a hummus-like consistency. I also suggest you wear gloves to shape the patties, or if you don't have plop the mixture into 7 mounds and use the serving spoon to press into a flattened burger shape. This recipe is so good, I also recommend doubling it and freezing the extra cooked patties to make for a quick reheated meal on a busy evening. Feel free to toss in extras like chopped chives or green onion, or cilantro which will only improve the flavor. January 2021**I updated this recipe per the user comments to be a fit firmer and sturdier. My using steel cut oat and not mixing in the lentils until the very end, so they don’t get fully blended, I managed to create a firmer burger that holds together a bit better. I hope you too like these changes.

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cups grated raw beetroot (red or golden, roughly 3 beets)

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves

3/4 cup steel cut oats (or regular oats work too)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (we like buckwheat, but any ok)

1 Tablespoon tahini

1 teaspoon dried thyme

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup cooked green French lentils (canned can work too)

Optional extras: chives, green onion or cilantro

Optional - In & Out Special Sauce (mix all together):

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons pickle relish (or diced pickle)

splash soy sauce

1. Preheat oven 350F/180C.

2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and drizzle 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil onto it.

3. Peel the beets (gloves are helpful to avoid pink hands). Then, roughly chop into pieces that will fit into your food processor. Using the grated blade (large holes) on your food processor, grate the beetroot. Set aside and place contents into a large bowl. *If grating by hand, you will likely have some excess red beetroot water in the bottom of the bowl, tip this out and discard.

4. Meanwhile, finely dice the onion and garlic in your food processor.

5. Then, return the grated beetroot to the food processor bowl. Then combine all the remaining ingredients (*except cooked lentils) and pulse into thoroughly combined. Lastly, add the lentils and pulse slightly, but do not fully blend. The mixture will be moist and you should be able to squeeze together to form a patty that holds together.

6. Place your food processor bowl near the baking tray. Next, using gloved hands (or serving spoon) place mounds onto parchment paper and shape into patties. Mixture will be *very soft and hard to handle. These burgers bake up just fine, but if you prefer you can add some breadcrumbs or cooked brown rice to bulk it up.

7. Insert tray into the middle of your oven. Bake for 15 minutes and flip half-way through and bake an additional 15 minutes or until desired level of firmness and browning.

8. Serve right away with burger toppings (such as special sauce above) as they are or with toasted buns. Shredded lettuce, tomato, cheese thinly slivered red onion and pickles go very well. Sauteed garlic mushrooms are another delicious topping.

9. If extra, freeze burger patties between layers of parchment paper.