Put the veggie back in veggie burger with these produce-packed sliders. Mushrooms, chickpeas, zucchini, onion, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes come together to form the succulent, savory patties, while balsamic-infused zucchini slices serve as buns. These sliders are on the smaller side; if you place them directly on the grill, you run the risk of losing them through the grates. We recommend using a grill pan when cooking them on the grill or on the stove.
Tip: Be sure to reserve the chickpea liquid (aquafaba) before rinsing and draining the chickpeas; you’ll use it to fine-tune the texture of the patty mixture.
For more inspiration, give these easy chickpea recipes a try today!
By Nancy Macklin, RDN ,
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms
- ½ cup coarsely chopped zucchini
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¾ cup no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained, and liquid (aquafaba) reserved
- ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick planks
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 8 slices roma tomato
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook the first four ingredients (through garlic) over medium 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water, 1 to 2 Tbsp. at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Place in a food processor with the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and lemon zest. Cover and pulse until chunky but not pureed. Add 1 to 2 Tbsp. of the aquafaba if the mixture seems dry or isn’t sticking together. Mixture should be moist but not wet. Season with salt and pepper.
- With wet hands, shape bean mixture into eight patties. Chill at least 20 minutes. Lightly dredge patties in cornmeal to coat.
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high. Cook sliders 8 to 10 minutes or until browned and heated through, turning once. Brush zucchini planks with some of the balsamic vinegar. Cook in grill pan 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender and grill marks appear, turning once. Cut planks into 16 pieces for “buns.” Place sliders and tomato slices between plank pieces. Drizzle with any remaining vinegar.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving (1 slider), 66 calories, 13 g carbohydrates, 3.1 g protein, 0.9 g total fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 76 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 5.1 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
This was a complete disaster for me! The mixture didn’t come together and was very wet so I squeezed the extra moisture out in a towel. No way did it make 8 patties I made 5 very thin small ones. I didn’t ad aquafaba because the recipe said to use it if it was too dry. I grilled them with cornmeal on them and they fell apart on trying to lift with a spatula. I was feeding a family so we ended up heating ready made rice and mixing it together with the crumbled patties and adding shredded Brussel sprouts and salad dressing.
Is there a problem with the site? I am unable to print or save
Hi David, Everything seems to be working at this end. We appreciate you reaching out because there is the odd tech snafu from time to time and it’s good to know about it early! I just tried to print and save, using two different browsers. Can you try another browser?
Hey there. What can I substitute for corn meal? Not a corn fan! Possibly flaxseeds, almond flour? Thanks!
Hi Deanne, Great question! While we haven’t tried this, you could coat them in breadcrumbs (gluten-free or regular) or rolled oats that have been ground to a coarse texture. Or you could skip the cornmeal altogether and cook them without. If you decide to experiment, let us know how it goes.
Worked well, though 1 made 4 burgers and served with bread buns, with courgettes and onions on side. My meat loving husband really enjoyed them
Looks great. Thank you
Is this recipe correct ???do you add chopped zucchini to the chickpea mix or not.
Hi Rhonda, Yes you add the cooked chopped zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, and onion mix to the food processor with the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and lemon zest. Hope that helps!
I don’t use canned chickpeas as I always cook my own. What can I use to substitute for the aquafaba?
P.S. I get frustrated with the number of recipes FOK has which use canned beans. There are lots of us who cook our own. Can FOK make adjustments to recipes which call for canned beans, please?
I cook my own beans too. The aquafaba is the liquid you cooked the chickpeas in. I save that for soups and stews, and I freeze it in ice cube trays to use instead of oil when I am stir-frying vegetables. One can of beans is the same as 1 1/2 cups of beans when substituting in a recipe.
Use the liquid from cooking the beans.
Do the chickpeas have to be cooked first?
Yes! Cooked chickpeas are used in this recipe.
Can these be frozen after forming into patty’s? I live alone and have no need to make so many if they cannot be frozen
Hi Mary,
Yes, you can freeze these on a parchment-lined baking sheet after forming them into patties. Then, once they’re frozen, you can transfer the patties to a zip-top freezer bag for easier storage.
Thank you,
Courtney Davison
Editor, Forks Over Knives
Delicious!! But my patties were crumbly. Worth trying again
Didn’t stick… it’s very liquidy due to the water in the zucchini. A similar recipe I use includes flaxseed and cornmeal within the mixture itself, which might help it hold shape better than this.
Did you add the zucchini to the burger mix? If you did, that’s why the mix was watery. The zucchini was only for using as a bun substitute, i.e. wrapping the burgers, NOT being put into the burger mix.
Diane the recipe had coarsely chopped zucchini as the third ingredient
What can replace cornmeal ? I can’t eat corn. Needs to be gluten free. TY
I’m thinking of using nutritional yeast. Don’t know if it’ll work, but I don’t eat corn
Gluten free oat flour is my go-to substitute for such things. Millet or teff flour might be extra nice in this also!!
Is there is a good substitute for the zucchini? Asking because I want to make and have everything but the zucchini.
Hi Christine,
We haven’t tested this recipe without the zucchini, so we can’t vouch for the results, but yellow summer squash would probably also work well.
Thank you,
Courtney Davison
Editor, Forks Over Knives
Or instead of trying, could I bake them ??
Wendy
I do not grill my food because it creates carcinogens. I would pan dry this will it work as well ?
Wendy
Yes, you can pan fry without oil, but a grill pan is essentially a frying pan with ridges-no flames involved. The zucchini might get a little soft in a conventional frying pan but will still be good; just don’t overcook.
Oh my goodness, I needed a recipe for this evening! I LOVE this! More comments to follow!
These sound delicious- is there a substitute for the cornmeal that would work equally well?
Chick pea flour I say
Chickpea flour is kind of bitter. I’d say whole wheat flour or any whole grain flour, coursely ground best.
Also finely crushed nuts would work. But as nuts burn easily watch intently the grilling process and time.