Chili Lime Vegetarian Burger
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.
Tips for Making Vegetarian Burgers:
There are a few tricks that I’ve noticed to make the veggie burger special.
- The tomato paste, it brings the burger a touch of special flavor and when combined with carrots, while cooking, it’s just perfection.
- 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.
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
Nutrition
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
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…..
Nevermind, I figured it out.
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!
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 🙂
How many calories?
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!
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!
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
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 🙂
I love me a veggie burger, and I love me some chili & lime! This looks delish!
Thank you so much, Kari!
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
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!!
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.
I am so glad you liked it! Way to think fast and find substitutes!!
Thank you 🙂
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!