I’m a big fan of veggie burgers. And I mean BIG. Aka I eat them practically once a week for dinner—no shame.

There are a few reasons why I like veggie burgers so much:

1. Eating nutritious foods help me feel my best, so I try to pack in the nutrients whenever I can—and these veggies burgers are a great way to do that. They’re loaded with beneficial nutrients, protein, and soluble fiber (5 grams per burger!), so you’ll feel full and energized after eating them (no post-burger food coma here).
2. When comparing the environmental impact of a meat-based burger to a plant-based alternative, the choice is (almost painfully) obvious. According to a study commissioned by Beyond Meat with the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan, a plant-based burger generates 90% less greenhouse gas emissions, requires 45% less energy, has 99% less impact on water scarcity, and 93% less impact on land use than a ¼ pound of traditional U.S. beef. Wow, wow, wow.
3. Sometimes meatless burgers don’t hold up when cooking, but this recipe (inspired by Inspired Taste) doesn’t smoosh out the sides when you take a bite. Plus, you likely already have some of the ingredients in your pantry, and for any items that you need to buy, they can be commonly found either package free, in the bulk section, or in recyclable tin cans. Zero Waste never tasted so good.

Zero Waste Veggie Burgers

2 tablespoons Organic olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 medium onion
2 medium garlic cloves
8 ounces mushrooms
1 medium carrot
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 red or yellow pepper
2 cups packed spinach leaves
A handful of parsley
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/3 cup walnut halves
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (or rolled oats if you want to make this gluten-free)
2 large eggs (Vegan alternative: Use 2 flax eggs instead by whisking 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water. Set the mixture aside for 5 to 10 minutes and then add to the recipe)
3/4 cup cooked brown rice

1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats.
3. Roughly chop the mushrooms, carrot, pepper, broccoli, and onion into smaller pieces, and then toss them into the bowl a food processor (chopping the veggies by hand will also work).
4. Add in the garlic cloves, olive oil, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper, then pulse 10 to 20 times until coarsely ground.
5. Spread the ground veggies onto one of the baking sheets, and smooth them out using a spatula so it’s a thin layer.
6. Spread the black beans out on the second baking sheet.
7. Roast the veggies for 30 minutes (stirring halfway through) and the beans for 15 minutes. You want the beans to split open and the veggies should look toasted (both will look dry, but removing excess liquid is what keeps them together so nicely). Let everything cool.
8. While the beans and vegetables roast, add the walnuts, spinach, and parsley into your food processor until they are the size of breadcrumbs (or again, you can also finely chop these by hand).
9. Once the beans have cooled off, add them into the food processes and pulse 5 to 10 times (the beans should look crumbly).
10. Add in the roasted vegetables, breadcrumbs, eggs, and the tomato paste. Pulse everything again until it’s combined but not fully smoothed (you want to keep the hearty texture).
11. Once it’s all combined, fold in your cooked brown rice.
12. Make about 8 burger patties (more or less, depending on how big you want to make each burger). 
13. To cook them, you have a couple of options:
    1. You can grill them on a barbeque (if you’re feeling fancy),
    2. Or cook them on the stovetop — my preferred method. For this method: Heat some oil in a pan and cook the burger patties on medium-high heat until both sides are golden brown (usually about 6-8 minutes per side).
14. Serve them with or without a bun, and add your favorite burger toppings (I like lettuce, tomato, and onion). These are also great to add to salads for a little protein punch!

Tip: Freeze any leftovers (they last up to 2 months)! I like to store any extra patties in an Airtight Stainless Steel Container from Package Free. Reusable Silicone Bags works great too.

If you’re looking for a vegan burger recipe, this is another one of my favorites! If you try either of these, let me know what you think of them in the comments! Are you as obsessed with these as I am?