Grillable Beet Burgers with Smashed Avocado and Pickled Red Onion

Looking for the simplest yet one of the tastiest and nutritious veggie burgers on the planet? You're in the right place! Preparation time for this burger goodness is only ten minutes (after you've scrubbed down those beet beauties). They hold together really well (perfect for summertime grilling!) and are super satisfying with textures and flavors galore. For those of you who are not a fan of beets — these burgers don't have that earthy beet flavor. Instead, they get tons of flavor from miso (umami flavor), garlic, chili powder, and onion. Beets are packed with nitrates that lower blood pressure, expedite recovery and improve endurance in athletes. They're also a great source of plant-based iron and fiber. Finally, they're an excellent source of magnesium and folate, both of which are important for mental health.

Make Grillable Beet Burgers with Smashed Avocado and Pickled Red Onion in advance for the week or freeze them with parchment paper in between each one so you can grab them as you'd like throughout the month! Let me know if you try them!

Grillable Beet Burgers with Smashed Avocado and Pickled Red Onion

Serves: 6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds

• 1/4 cup flax meal

• 3 medium garlic cloves

• 1 1/2 tbsps mellow white or chickpea organic miso

• 1 tbsp chili powder

• 1 tbsp cumin powder

• 1 tbsp onion powder

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 1 cup scrubbed and grated beets (skin on or off, your choice)

• 1 cup organic rolled oats

• 1 1/2 cups homemade or BPA-free canned white beans

Beet Burger Toppings

• 1 avocado, pitted, flesh removed and smashed with a fork

• Few forkfuls of pickled red onions (recipe below)

• sprouts (broccoli, clover, or other sprouts of your choice), optional

• leafy greens

• organic whole grain bread, buns or lettuce wraps

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Add the sunflower seeds, flax meal, garlic cloves, miso, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, onion powder, and salt and pepper, if using, to a food processor. Blend until a moist coarse dough forms.

3. Add the beets, oats, and beans. Blend until combined, using a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the food processor, making sure that everything is blended.

4. With clean hands, scoop out the burger mix to form 4-inch patties about ½-inch thick. You should get about 6 thick patties.

5. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through.

6. Top with smashed avocado, pickled red onions, sprouts, and leafy greens in between whole-grain bread or in a lettuce wrap.

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 5–7 days or can be frozen, separated by parchment paper in a freezer-safe container, for up to 30 days.

Substitutions

• In place of sunflower seeds, use walnuts or cashews.

• For the white beans, use Great Northern, cannellini, or navy beans.

• Top with kimchi or kraut in place of pickled red onion.

Nutrition (per patty, 6 patties total), not including whole grain bread and toppings:

173 calories, 8 grams protein, 20 grams net carbohydrate, 5 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 6 grams fiber, 392 mg sodium

How to make pickled red onions

Slice one small red onion into thin slices and add to a bowl. Add 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Massage the onion and vinegar mixture with clean hands for about 30-60 seconds. Store in a mason jar or airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. These will keep for two weeks.

Watch the video here!

Making Grillable Beet Burgers (10-Minute Meal Prep!)

Nutrition Information

Per serving (6 servings): 313 calories, 50 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams fiber, 17 grams protein, 7 grams fat, 272 milligrams sodium

Want to dive further into plant-based eating?

Visit all plant-based recipes here.

Visit the blog for more plant-based articles here.