I have a nice vegetarian recipe for you today. Sometimes I just feel a like having something light and meatless for lunch and that’s when I turn to veggie burgers. I know, I’m not the only one that likes to have some meatless options up my sleeve. This is a recipe for Chili Lime Veggie Cheeseburger, and it’s the best vegetarian burger that I’ve made so far!
As I mentioned above, I love to have at least one  meatless/vegetarian option on our weekly menu. We are not vegetarian, hubby is actually quite a carnivore, but it’s nice to have a meatless day. The little man loves vegetables, even though he is much pickier these days than he used to be, I am still proud to say that my kid eats his veggies (better than meat).
Well, I love veggie burgers, but I find them to be tricky. They can be a hit or a miss when it comes to flavor and texture. I never order one in the restaurant because you just never know if they got it just right. I know that everyone has their own preference, I am just picky. So, I stick to making my own recipes for those dishes that I am the pickiest.
I’ve actually been working on the “perfect” veggie burger recipe for years! I remember my first attempt at making a vegetarian burger, it was a disaster. Since then, I’ve perfected my methods and flavor combinations I’m getting closer and closer to perfection (although, that largely depends on personal taste)! This one is definitely the best yet.
There are a few tricks that I’ve noticed to make the veggie burger special. For example, the tomato paste, it brings the burger a touch of special flavor and when combined with carrots, while cooking, it’s just perfection. Also, I found that pinto beans are better than black beans when it comes to flavor and texture. Another trick it the sauce. I make sour cream or plain yogurt sauce with complimentary flavors of the veggie burger and it adds a special, cooling touch.
Making these vegetarian burgers, I discovered another trick. While picking up some cheese, I noticed the new Kraft Fresh Take meal kits. I’ve seen commercials for them but it’s just about breading and baking chicken, so I didn’t give it a second thought. Well, this time, a light bulb went up and I realized that it would be perfect to use in my veggie burgers for extra flavor. They have so many different flavors and it makes it so easy to just add it to any recipes and “jazz it up!” I decided to get chili lime flavor this time and boy was that good!
Chili Lime Vegetarian Burger
Ingredients
- For Burger:
- 16 oz can of pinto beans drained very well
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 large shallot
- 1 medium carrot
- 3 medium mushrooms
- 1/2 large red bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tbs tomato paste
- salt
- 1/4 tsp dry red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 tbs minced fresh dill weed
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- Zest from 1 small lime
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 3 tbs olive oil
- For Sauce:
- 1/4 cup of sour cream
- 1/8 tsp chili powder
- salt
- 1 tbs chopped green onion
- 1 tsp minced fresh dill weed
Instructions
- Drain your beans very well and finely chop all the vegetables.
- Preheat a medium cooking pan, on medium heat, and add the olive oil and chopped veggies (shallot, carrots, bell pepper). Add tomato paste, salt, red pepper flakes and minced garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft.
- Place the beans in the food processor, add the cooked veggies, green onion and dill weed. Pulse a few times, don't puree.
- Transfer the veggie mixture unto a mixing bowl, add the egg, bread crumbs, zest, chili powder and cheese. Mix well until all incorporated.
- Preheat the cooking pan again and add the olive oil.
- Drop about 1/2-cup-spoonfuls of the veggie burger mixture into the pan and shape them into patties. Cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes on each side (until nicely browned).
- For the sauce: combine sour cream, chili powder, salt, green onion and dill weed in a small bowl and mix well.
- Enjoy!!
Notes
Watch for the Kraft Fresh Possibilities Tour truck which will be making stops across the country from March through the end of July. My truck will be here, in my town, TOMORROW! To see if they are making a stop in your town you can check this website: Fresh Possibilities Tour
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I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Fraft Foods. All the opinions and photographs are my own.  #cbias #SocialFabric #FreshTake
Julie says
I love this burger! It looks like it stays together pretty well through the cooking process, which is awesome because a lot of veggie burgers tend to fall apart. Pinned to my food and Marvelous Mondays boards. Thanks for sharing at this week’s party, Lyuba. Have a wonderful week!
Diana Rambles says
Delish!
Miz Helen says
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
MCatherine says
Oooo, I think you just gave me the answer to the question, “What’s for dinner?”
Krista @ joyfulhealthyeats says
Now this is my kind of burger, love all the fresh vegetables that you put in. It looks great and JUICY! Awesome recipe! Thanks Lyuba!
Chris says
I made this for dinner tonight and they were awesome! I couldn’t locate the Kraft fresh takes in lime so I used lime zest and panko bread crumbs instead. I am going to make another batch and freeze them individually for a quick meal. Thanks for the great recipe.
lyuba says
I am so glad you liked it! Way to think fast and find substitutes!!
Thank you 🙂
Carol says
Hi Lyuba. These burgers look great. I know you said to leave out the egg but how will it stay together. Anything else you suggest for egg? Thanks Carol
lyuba says
HI Carol. You can try using a store-bought egg substitute but I don’t think that it’s necessary. You can try leaving out the egg because these is cheese right in the burgers, which can add as a binder. There is also some tomato paste and you can bump that up to 1 tbsp. Press the patties tight and don’t mess with them too much while cooking. Flip them once and you should be good. I hope it works out well!!
Kari@Loaves n Dishes says
I love me a veggie burger, and I love me some chili & lime! This looks delish!
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Kari!
Carol says
OMG Lyuba the veggie burgers were great, very tasty even without the egg. I could not find the Kraft Lime so I just used Panko and a bag of Colby/Jack with Lime zest. My husband does not eat meat and he gobbled these up. The sour cream dressing was good also. Thanks for all the great recipes. Carol
lyuba says
I’m so glad you and your husband loved them! Perfect way to substitute the Kraft product! It makes me very happy that you liked my recipe 🙂
Kacey says
I was really inspired by this recipe and wanted to make it gluten-free and vegan. I just started adding random ingredients and it seemed to work! No egg or cheese, and I used crushed walnuts instead of breadcrumbs. The burgers held together well because of the shredded veggies I included (carrots, apple, etc.) It was a hit! Thanks for the recipe!
lyuba says
What a great twist on this burger!! I’m so glad that you were able to make it vegan and gluten free and it held together for everyone to enjoy!
Thank you, Kacey!
amber says
How many calories?
Carolyn says
Is it possible to use something in place of the mushrooms? No one in my family eats them (including myself!) but I really want to make these sometime 🙂
Jody Ayers says
The recipe looks delicious however, I have read it 3 times and do not find cheese in the list of ingredients which you mention in step 4 of the instructions. Can you please tell me what kind and how much you use? Thanks so much…..
Jody Ayers says
Nevermind, I figured it out.
lyuba says
I”m so sorry that I didn’t see your comment sooner! Glad you figured it out and I actually updated this recipes to use ingredients instead of the pouch. Thank you, Jody!