I may never need to eat a regular burger again.
It took me a while to come around to the idea of it, but I’m 100% all for bean burgers. They are the future. With so many variations and styles, you can get so many delicious recipes from the humble bean. And to me, a bean patty tastes pretty much like ground beef, if not better.
And after eating a bean burger, you aren’t left with that sluggish, indigestible rock in the stomach sort of feeling that you get with red meat.
If I were a richer man, I would immediately open a restaurant called Bean Burgers. I would serve every kind of bean burger imaginable, too. Black beans, kidney, beans, red beans, chickpeas, and all the other loveable legumes.
And you’d bet your ass that this falafel burger stuffed with roasted garlic aioli would be on that menu.
Time You’ll Need
- 30 minutes prep (~hour or so if you roast your own garlic)
- 5-10 minutes cooking
- Yields: About 3 patties
What You’ll Need
Falafel patties:
- 2 can of chickpeas, drained and dried
- 4 tbsp flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp burger or steak seasoning
- 4 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- One small can of green chilies (or diced jalapenos if you want some more kick)
Garlic Aioli:
- 2-3 heads of garlic, roasted and minced (or 3 tbsp roasted garlic puree)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 2 tsp Red pepper flakes
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Burger:
- Brioche buns
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Onions
- pickles
- Cheese of choice
- *any other burger toppings you like
What You’ll Do
For the aioli:
- In a small food processor, add the roasted garlic (or premade roasted garlic puree), salt, pepper, olive oil, cayenne, red pepper, lemon juice, and mayo. Pulse a few times, then pour into a small bowl, whisk a few times until evenly blended.
For the patties:
- Pat dry your chickpeas with a paper towel to get them as dry as possible.
- In a food processor, add chopped onion and garlic, chickpeas, flour, the seasonings (cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, steak seasoning) olive oil, minced garlic, and chopped green chilies.
- Pulse until mixture forms of a very rough paste. You don’t want to over process into a smooth paste, leave a little texture.
- If mixture is too dry, add a splash of more olive oil and pulse until blended.
- Place the mixture in a bowl, cover it with a lid or plastic wrap. Place in the fridge and let sit for half an hour. Make the aioli in the meantime.
- Once your time is up, place a skillet over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil and let it heat up.
- Shape the falafel mixture into patties, adding a heaping spoonful of the aioli into each patty, sealing it in with more falafel mixture if needed.
- Fry two patties at a time in the skillet, about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden and crispy.
- Repeat till each patty is done.
- Serve on the brioche buns with your favorite burger toppings and cheese. I went with a garlic and herb jack to keep with the garlic theme.