Don’t Have a Cow
I’d be lying if I said I never was a big burger fan.
My mom tells the story of when I was Lulu’s age and tried to stick an entire McDonald’s hamburger in my mouth. As half of the bun spilled from my lips, filled with the pressed patty, almost non-existent squirts of ketchup and mustard, two thin, limp slightly cooked pickles and minced onions that had no business being there, I used both pointer fingers, one right after the other to poke the overflowing burger into my mouth. I’ve never been a quitter.
Somewhere along the way though, the burger lost it’s appeal. I’m sure grade school had something to do with it. I’d grab the compartmentalized tray, which as a Type A, “my food can’t touch” child I loved, and head for the line, disappointingly grabbing a flavorless sponge of a bun topped with a dry, grey chewy patty that someone in charge deemed was a nutritious lunch for me.
The toppings bar did nothing to improve matters, aside from the pump-all-you-want supply of ketchup. Oh, I wanted. Something had to cover up the taste of whatever they injected into that patty to attempt to mask that it was neither grilled nor beef. I only wished someone would have rid that toppings bar of the large tub of red onion slices. No one ate them but the teachers, and the last thing I wanted was Mr. W breathing red onion in my face as he checked my math work over my shoulder.
I was indifferent to hamburgers after that. They were never something I intentionally sought out or made at home, especially since when I met Pea Daddy, he didn’t eat red meat. A man that doesn’t eat red meat?! I know.
Funny enough, some time after we married I convinced him that he should buy a pair of brown sandals to wear with linen trousers and a white button up shirt (perhaps the last time he’s ever let me pick out his clothes), but also that extra-lean ground beef would be a great protein source to add to our “healthy,” lean muscle-building diets. It never occurred to me when I’d stroll my cart down the Walmart meat case and pick out a cellophane wrapped, gas packed plastic carton of 96% fat free ground beef that there were far healthier, far more socially conscientious, far more ethical choices I could be making. And that’s just the shopping at Walmart part. But we liked blue cheese stuffed burgers, and a blue cheese stuffed burger just happens to be the one dish Pea Daddy has asked me to replicate in vegan form that I laughed and said, “Impossible! It’s beef and cheese!”
Now it’s difficult for me to dash by a meat case at the grocery store without seeing the cows we drive by every time we get on the freeway.
I can’t confirm why the cows are there, but based on the tags on their ears and the lack of any dairy barns nearby, I could probably wager a guess. But every time we pass by, the girls and I say “Mooooo!” and “Hi cows!,” which I think is a bit redundant. And though I feel sad, I also know that these cows are in far better shape than any cow on a feedlot.
We decided to visit a nearby farm today to practice our mooing and pick up some local produce.
We visited some animals.
And pretended to be others.
But today there were no cows.
Other than that one.
Oh no, today there were no cows.
“Cheese” Stuffed Bean Burgers
Makes 4 burgers
- 1/3 c. quinoa
- 2/3 c. vegetable stock
- 1 c. dry whole wheat pasta (penne, rigatoni, macaroni, etc.)
- One 14.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 t. soy sauce
- 2 t. vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 T. minced onion
- 1 t. minced garlic
- 3 T. hummus
- 2 t. lemon juice
- 1 T. nutritional yeast
- 4 whole wheat buns, split
- lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and any other trimmings of your choice.
Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a small pot and bring to a boil.
Cover, lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
In another small pot, bring several cups of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook pasta for 15-20 minutes. You want pasta to be overcooked as this starch will help hold the patties together.
When pasta is finished, drain and add with black beans, soy sauce, Worchestshire sauce, onion and garlic to a food processor or high speed blender and blend until mixture is almost smooth.
Add quinoa to mixture and stir until fully incorporated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine hummus, lemon juice and nutritional yeast.
Score bean mixture into four sections. Break each section into two, with one section being slightly larger.
You will probably want to spray your platter with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Press the larger portion into a patty and top with approximately one tablespoon of the “cheese.”
Form the smaller portion into another smaller patty and place atop the “cheese,” sealing the edges.
Cook the patties over medium-high heat in a large skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook for 6-7 minutes and then carefully flip,
cooking for another 4-5 minutes, until burger is browned and cooked through.
Serve burgers atop buns with trimmings of your choice.
Tonight, my friends, I achieved the “impossible.” I made a completely vegan “cheese”-stuffed burger that Pea Daddy said was better than the original.
Come on, give me a hard one.
Not literally. I know it’s good, but geesh.
Love this post. Especially finding out Pea Daddy didn’t like red meat and that he liked your new version better. I NEVER would have thought to put pasta into a burger like that. You are so creative. And the farm girl hairdos are super cute too.
Oh.my.word.
You are truly amazing! This just went to the top of my “must try recipes” list.
Thanks!!!
Growing up we used to honk and bid “good morning/afternoon/evening” to the cows! Yes, we were “those people”/”that family”. :0)
Nothing like a trip to the ole farm to re-solidfy those vegan values, Im sure! I never liked meat. Ever. I was a self-proclaimed vegetarian by about age 7. I never ate what the family ate, i.e. chicken, beef, lamb. I would eat some fish but not much, even as a child. Had nothing to do with animal rights back then, just taste preferences. I just never liked it. Now of course, my veganism goes much deeper than not liking the taste of animal flesh. However, I did a post a few days ago on trace dairy. If my diet is 99% or 99.9% plant based, and .1% trace dairy comes in, and I allowed it to intentionally, does that make me not a vegan or a bad vegan or whatever…I dont think so, but some of my readers did. Maybe I need to go visit that farm with you to make sure I swear off all traces of dairy
Anyway sorry to ramble!
Your recipe looks stellar, as usual…the pasta incorporation, the cheeze, the happy Pea Daddy…job well done!
All of these sad looking trays of school lunches make me so grateful that, living in the ‘burbs that I did (and still do), there was no such thing as a lunch program. We all brought our lunches every day, and even when there was a cafeteria in jr high and high school, I just continued that tradition, because it was so much better – and cheaper! It’s also why I can never fathom why parents don’t pack their kids lunches when the stuff they are being served in schools is complete junk.
You know what would throw that burger over the top? Some sort of fakin’ bacon. I love me a good bacon cheeseburger, so why not a vegan one?
I thought of that myself…some tempeh bacon would definitely put these over the top. I’m thinking that might be on our Superbowl menu. Look at me, menu planning for an event five months away…
While this gives me hope for my husband, I don’t think he will ever stop eating red meat! I don’t love burgers, I probably have ~2-3 a year, if that. These burgers look so good. I wonder if I can trick him into eating them… ?
Mama Pea. You are a genius. I cannot wait to try those out.
It’s a shame you couldn’t get Pea Daddy to pose for a picture, stuffing the whole burger in his mouth with two fingers.
Woah! This is truly remarkable! A vegan stuffed cheeseburger. My dear friend, I believe you have discovered a miracle!
Gosh, these look awesome. Great photos, as always
Those look like actual beef + cheese burgers. Wow! Your creativity in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me.
you’re a genius.
enough said.
That is one amazing looking burger! Genius
Yum, those burgers look delicious! I can’t wait to try the recipe. Thank you Mama Pea!
That is an awesome looking burger. I would have never thought about adding pasta to the mixture like that.
These look great!!!!!!! I am happy Pea Daddy loved them!
I love the girls braids! They look so cute! I love making quinoa bean burgers. I came up with one that was frighteningly like beef…in a good way. Glad you made your man happy! Have a great day Sarah!
Pasta – very interesting! I would have never thought of that. Sounds delish!
Laura
OMG! Girlfriend you are the bomb diggity. Wow, you’ve outdone yourself this time. Question, how do you rinse the quinoa without losing most of the grains?
I use a fine-mesh metal sieve. Truth be told, I forgot to rinse this quinoa. Also a little fact for you, most commercial quinoa (i.e. the boxed kind…I’m not so sure about bulk) is pre-rinsed. Of course, you don’t want to make the mistake of not pre-rinsing if you are unsure.
Oh my gosh, I used to drench those school burgers in ketchup too. Ugh, to think of all the years I spent eating such crappy food. Oh well, live and learn! At least I can help my future kids out too
I’ve never thought about (or heard of!) adding pasta to hold a burger together– great idea!! These look awesome.
And I LOVE the braids on Lulu…I wish my hair would braid like that!
I’m excited to try this one. After a few movies on the food industry I will cry if I even consider eating a burger!
I’m totally going to try these. I found out yesterday that Rick ate a “veggie patty” from Subway. I was horrified, since I never knew that Subway even had “veggie patties”, but also excited because that means that he is ready to branch out into meatless “burgers”. This recipe is perfect timing.
And p.s…did you really just ask for a ‘hard one’? Priceless.
Cooked spaghetti… in a vegetable burger… now that is something I never would have imagined. Ever. Do these things come to you in dreams? Haha. I’m going to have to try this now.
And the shot of the burgers with the corn is so amazing! I love how they look like the real deal; if I hadn’t read this and just scrolled to that picture (not seeing the other ones, of course) I seriously couldn’t tell the difference.
I’m impressed. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me how you were going to pull the cheese one off. LOVE the hummus + nutritional yeast “cheese.” Well played, ma’am.
I love the idea of adding pasta to help hold the burgers together. I never would have thought of that! The cheese-stuffed part makes them even better!
Great idea using the pasta as a binder! I’ll have to try that.
I love the girls’ braids. Guess that’s one thing I’ll need to learn to do before I have kids. I’m so bad at it!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing! Super, super excited for your cookbook to come out!
Do you make your own Red Pepper Hummus? I tried out a recipe for my last batch, didn’t taste as great as what I buy from the Health Food store……my taste buds were disapointed.
I do make my own hummus sometimes (and I have the best homemade recipe I’ve ever made…but it’s in the book). This was just store bought, though (specifically Trader Joe’s Smooth and Creamy Red Pepper). Of course, Sabra is my absolute favorite!
Awe I love this post. Like Gigi and Lulu, I also say “hi” to the moo-cows that I pass on my way to the grocery store
This recipe looks amazing, and I just restocked my quinoa supply yesterday…
haha! this looks and sounds amazing! I wonder if I can get my “all red meat” boyfriend to enjoy something like this….guess it’s worth a try!
hahaha ur posts make me smile everytime
the cows part made me sad too…sigh
but those burgers look amazing! i would have never thought to process pasta…when i saw it on the ingredient list i was curious as to how they would be incorporated! i definitely bookmarked this and will be making it when i get back to school…i cant lie, i was definitely a big beef burger fan but when i cut out red meat i turned into a big turkey burger fan and then when i became vegan, no veggie burger could quite have the true burger taste but this one looks phenommmm i cant wait to try it!!
i love ur family trips! i wish my family did more of that when i was younger! gigi and lulu are so lucky!!
I just can’t get over your talent! And I definately can’t wait for your cookbook!!
those look amazing. i have got to make them! i think i have everything needed. thank you for sharing this
YUM!!!!!!!
Wow, these look great! Do you think there is an ingredient you could replace the pasta with? I’m gluten free – maybe some gluten free breadcrumbs?
I was actually thinking about this last night–yes, I’m that strange. I would definitely use pasta of some sort. The starch really does change the texture of the burger. But I don’t see why you couldn’t use brown rice pasta or even rice noodles (i.e. the kind used for Pad Thai). If you do try it, be sure and let me know!
OMG you are freaking amazing! Those look over the top! This is one of your best posts ever! (Yes I think I say that about every one of them)
School lunches haven’t changed much, sadly. I really hope they get a clue eventually. I keep thinking I need to get more involved with the committee who determines what our kids eat for lunch. I totally had the gray burgers covered in ketchup too. Blech.
I would never think to add pasta to hold the burgers together! Such a good idea and they look excellent!
OH my, those look so good. I’m totally impressed and always looking for something new to make using quinoa!
That looks like a great recipe! I am excited to try that as soon as I get the chance! Thanks!
P and I always ‘moo’ to the cows and say hi to the sheep when we pass the farm near our house. I can’t eat them anymore and I am happy with that.
I will forever think of you as Super Veganizing Woman from now on. Amazing.
Those burgers look amazing! I continue to be so impressed with your recipes and can’t wait to buy the book!!
i LOVE the idea of the overcooked pasta in there! genius mama pea, genius!
Freaking genius Mama Pea. Now I do love me some bleu cheese stuffed burgers, but your version sounds just as good in my opinion. I LOVE coming here for veganized options – you really are so creative.
I can’t believe how old Gigi and Lulu are looking. When did that happen!?!
What an innovative recipe. Very impressive!
Now this looks like my kind of burger, how delicious!!!
That is absolutely incredible that you just made that! They look phenomenal!
Wow, how did you come up with that?!?!? I’ve never seen anyone blend pasta- they look so good. Your blog inspires me to eat more vegetarian. I love how creative you are. Amazing : )
I actually saw a tip in Vegetarian Times a few months ago that suggested blending overcooked pasta into veggie burgers. I was skeptical, but it worked!
I need to try those burgers asap! They look so amazing! And veggie burgers are always better than the real thing, lets be honest!
your kids are adorable!!!!!
Your recipes never cease to amaze me. Your book is going to be a bestseller!
HAH the last line made me laugh out loud at my desk all by myself and forced me to pretend like Quickbooks is pretty funny.. because that is what I am working on.. right? Right.
Anyway, you have REALLY outdone yourself. There is no food you cannot veganize.. I am convinced! I need to stop being lazy and start making some of these genius recipes. Marshall has a soft spot for those cows and really doesn’t prefer eating meat. So when I do make him a meatless meal he gets super excited.
<3 you lots, friend! xoxo
I love all your recipes. I can’t seem to fathom how you have so much time to do what you do. Being a mom of two girls and a housewife!!! You are superwoman!
you are a mother effing genius. not only with the burgers, but with your writing – you continually inspire me to up my game woman!
hmm! i’ve never thought of adding pasta to a hamburger! where do you come up with these excellent ideas, Mama?
I loooove your posts — you always make me laugh out loud. Also, now I’m craving that faux burger you made. Yumm!
ahh those look SO good!! hummus and nooch togerher?? omg I must try that!
dude…..can you believe i’ve never had a stuffed burger before? damned, gonna have to make that!
Those are some priceless pics at the farm; I love their matching braids.
Whoa. Where on earth did you come up w/the pasta method in the veggie burgers?? I have never seen that!! Genius!! This is really a good clean out the fridge/pantry recipe too! Things are pretty bare over here but I have everything except for the worce. sauce…Yummmmmmmm.
I can’t wait to try this. I do eat grass-fed beef burgers but love incorporating plenty of vegetarian dishes into my (and my husband’s) diet. My husband is obsessed with black beans so I’m sure this will be right up his alley. You may see a link back to this post very soon.
I have only just discovered your blog but I had to stop in and tell you I am absolutely enchanted by it! Your little girls are insanely adorable and I love your approach to veganism – I look forward to try out some of your recipes.
I feel the same about the cows on feed-lots
Thank you, Monika! “Enchanted?” I LOVE it!
Your burgers look quite tasty!!!!!!
If you can get a MALE to say that your burgers are better than the real thing, then it has to be good!!! Well done!
OMG, pasta in a burger?? You are truly a culinary genius. Another wonderful idea from pea kitchen!! Next time I attempt veggie burgers I might have to try this out.
I LOVE adding straight up carbs to my veggie burgers. I blogged about a pretty rockin’ veggie burger a while back that I put crushed tortilla chips in. It was pretty amazing.
Lovely, and the farm pics are directly in keeping with my post today! Glad PD liked his burger so much.
Very impressive! Never seen pasta in a veggie burger before. I would probably love those burgers. My husband, I’m guessing, has not come around to liking things like nutritional yeast cheese (although we put the stuff on our food pretty often), but maybe mixed with hummus he would like it- thanks for the idea!
This looks so good! I’ve never thought of adding pasta, but it makes so much sense. Can’t wait to try these!
This looks so good! I’ve never thought of adding pasta, but it makes so much sense. Can’t wait to try these!
I am impressed! However, when I read this to my husband he said “please don’t do that to me”. I can’t help but laugh! He’s not a red meat eater either and never really has been.
This post is amazing, and the recipe even better! This is going to the top of my MUST try list!
I drove my car to California for grad school and along I-5 there’s a long stretch of road smelling mysteriously like ranch dressing… then you realize it’s just miles and miles of cattle feedlots. Gross… but I do want to make this quinoa burger – where do you buy your nutritional yeast?
Cool! Never seen a bean burger recipe that includes cooked pasta in the mix. Plus, there’s hummus–what’s not to love?!
Is there any reason why these couldn’t be frozen?
I was thinking about that last night too. I really don’t see why not. We had them reheated tonight and they were just as excellent.
I love I just fell more in love with your blog.. Love this recipe and I think it will be perfect for my labor day celebrations.
These sound pretty awesome, even to this decidedly non-vegetarian, non-vegan. On my list of things to try when I actually feel like making a real dinner!
Wow, these look wonderful! Great idea! =)
That looks delicious! I just made black bean burgers tonight for dinner and next time I will have to try the “cheese” stuffing. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, I’m drooling with the melted “cheese”. I want to make this soon.
Mama Pea, thanks for sharing this recipe. You are so creative with your recipes.
The pictures of the girls are incredibly sweet- I love the one of them washing their hands and lulu’s braids.
I still want to see that vegan White Russian
While my little family of my son and I are not vegan by any stretch of the imagination, I have slowly been incorporating more of your recipes into our menu! He just started kindergarten yesterday and I have been scouring the internet for healthy recipes to pack in his lunch, and this seems like a winner! I was horified when I read the menu for school lunch and saw pork cutlette and riblets. There can be nothing real or healthy about that! Can’t wait to try these out on my little man!
Woiw, you are BEYOND talented. This is so, so cool. I want to try this sometime!
I made this for my family tonight and everybody (my meat eating family and me) liked them! I used plain couscous instead of the quinoa in broth and balsamic vinegar instead of worcestershire-and I didn’t do the filling. It still turned out great. I love that all the ingredients were stuff that I already had. Thanks for the recipe!
Burgers look great!! We are sharing a burger recipe tomorrow, I guess great minds think alike
I have never seen pasta put in burgers before… does it help with texture?
Definitely! The pasta makes the burgers totally flippable.
hahaha…my mom has a nearly identical story of my first hamburger experience. since she was a veggie it didnt occur til i was about 5 years old, at which point i (allegedly) did as best a job as possible to put the entire kids meal burger into my mouth in a single bite. i bet it wasnt hard with those white bread buns that smoosh up like they are nothing but faux ingreds…oh wait.
ps i want those blizzard smoothies in that other post of yours. too bad it needs to be chilled otherwise id beg for it as a wedding present…
I’ve never seen pasta in a veggie burger recipe before, how clever! (I usually wind up with uncooked flour-y mush in the middle). I’ll definitely be trying these.
These companies make vegan bleu cheese- that I haven’t tried and I’m sure are really hard to find- but maybe someday things like this will be more readily available.
http://www.sunergiasoyfoods.com/html/soy_bleu.html
http://www.buteisland.com/
I made these last night and I loved them!! Although I don’t think they turned out as good as yours. We couldn’t get the inside of the burger to “firm” up on the stove. The outside got harder & crispy but the insides still stayed a little mushy. We ate them anyways and they were still fantastic but any suggestions for the mushy middle? Can’t wait to make these again! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hey Taylor, I’d suggest making your patties thinner. Then they’ll cook through faster instead of just searing on the outside and staying mushy in the middle. Hope that helps!
Give me a hard one?
You win.
I don’t know what you win, but you should win something.
You’ve out-done yourself Momma Pea! This is fantastic- creative, genius and yummy! You are amazing!
B
I’m making these right now but I’m using some quinoa I had already made. How much cooked quinoa? Does 1/3 cup dry equal 1 1/3 cooked?
Hiya! I made these burgers tonight and they were a HUGE hit!! My ‘Meat & Taters’ husband was very skeptical, but he really, REALLY liked them! And so did I, Thanks so much for sharing!!
Here is a link to the post–>
http://redheadrecipes.com/?p=8473
Holy mother of all beans…how did I not see this post the first time you published it? I still have a bunch of nutritional yeast in my pantry that I have yet to figure out how to use (and actually taste good) and these look delicioso. Must. Make.
*Note to self – read “VIPs” more often!
I made these veggie burgers tonight, they were so delicious! This will definitely be my go-to vegan black bean burger recipe. I’m looking forward to trying many more reciPEAs
I’m also excited for the cookbook! Thanks so much for a great vegan blog, I’m addicted!
I’m flattered! Thank you for reading!
Fabulous! I have been looking at your recipes for a few days and finally decided to give this one a try. The burgers were fantastic. I couldn’t believe how easy they were to prepare. Do you think they would freeze well? I will definitely be trying more recipes very soon!
I have frozen them and they seemed to hold up fine! I just heated them in a skillet again so they crisped up. Glad you liked them!!!
I. love. this. post. And I’m going to try and make these burgers!
I hope you do. They are our favorite!
i FINALLY made these last night after they spent months on my “to make” list! they were: SO. GOOD. and so easy!! my boyfriend, who is NOT a veggie burger fan or any sort of “fake” burger fan and who was so skeptical and unenthusiastic about my new recipe attempt, said….and i quote…”yum..that smells good. mmm…it actually looks good. wait..this tastes like…a..a BURGER! YUM! save me one to eat tomorrow!” a total success!!! i loved them too and cant wait to make them again! thanks so much, as always, for a great recipea!!
You’re welcome. I think they are about the best veggie burger ever. Glad you agree
Finally made these burgers with some garlic fries…..so yummy! Another Mama Pea hit
Nicely done! Thanks!