As a mostly vegetarian family, we can go through a pack of veggie burgers in one sitting. Actually, with my brother and sister around, let’s make that a pack and a half.
As I’m sure you know, veggie burgers aren’t cheap. At nearly 5 dollars per box (depending on the brand), the money adds up pretty quickly.
So, I’m letting my inner frugalista shine and challenging myself to make a batch of veggies burgers each week for the month of March.
So far, I’ve experimented by making ginger-spiced carrot kidney bean burgers and chili bean burgers. Both turned out well, but I’ve definitely learned a few tips along the way.
For one, veggie burgers are super messy to form—so getting the right consistency is key. Also, they have a tendency to crack and crumble when baked—so it’s important to include a binder (eggs, oats, flax…etc.) that keeps them together. Just like cooking in general, it’s a process of trial and error.
A bit more recently, I got back into the veggie burger game and made green chile and fire-roasted tomato pinto bean burgers.
As usual, I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out. I normally just pick good flavor combinations and then start throwing stuff into the blender. That’s definitely a hit or miss method.
Luckily, they ended up being a huge hit.
Such a hit that they were gone within one meal. Adam even asked for one for breakfast (yes, breakfast) the next day.
Rather than having to turn down any more breakfast veggie burger requests – I’m going to make a double batch from now on. After all, homemade burgers freeze easily [wrap in plastic, fill a freezer container, and store]. Not that any will need to be frozen around here.
But this challenge isn’t all about the potential to save money, it’s also about controlling the ingredients. There has to be a health spin—right?
When I think of veggie burgers – I generally think healthy. After all, the name suggests that they’re made from veggies.
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. As with many packaged foods, veggie burgers are often super processed with mile-long ingredient lists. Most of those ingredients aren’t even recognizable. In my eyes, that’s never a good sign.
So besides for being a frugalista, I’m also going to be health-conscious in that I’ll be making veggie burgers with clean ingredients that I know and love.
Want to join me in my quest for healthy vegetarian burgers? My plan is to prep them on the weekend so that they’re easy to grab for lunches and/or dinners for the week.
I’ll be making a batch of veggie burgers this upcoming weekend and posting about them on Monday, March 5th. I already have a few delicious burger combinations swirling in my mind – so hopefully they’ll turn out to be tasty combinations (and share-worthy recipes).
<3 Stefanie
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