We’re still in the heart of grilling season, and what better way to whet that appetite than with a Down Home BBQ Burger from the Vegan Burgers and Burritos Cookbook, by Sophia DeSantis?

If you’re not already familiar with Sophia DeSantis, she’s the wonder woman behind the blog Veggies Don’t Bite! Last year, she came out with her first cookbook, all about vegan burgers and burritos. Yum!

This book is definitely what it claims to be, you have 27 recipes for burgers, 26 burritos, plus, there are 19 sauces and 4 sides. In this case, Sophia has allowed me to share her Down Home BBQ Burger recipe with you! And if you want to check out some other dishes from the book before buying, I recommend the Fall Harvest Burrito and Buffalo Wing Sliders.

I made these for dinner, after an especially rough week, and they really hit the spot. BBQ sauce is a staple in my house, so I knew that these would be the burgers I’d make! Although, I was impatient and made them in the skillet; I think following the oven directions is your best bet. And, if you’re feeling up for it, make some onion rings to complete this Down-Home BBQ Burger! Just thinking about it has me drooling.

Pro tip: Toasted buns make the burger! After I was done cooking the patties in a non-stick pan, I sprayed a light coat of cooking oil onto it, and toasted the cut-sides of the buns for about 3 minutes. Plus, it looks pretty official, am I right? 😉 If you give this Down Home BBQ Burger a whirl, make sure to tag Sophia at @VeggiesDontBite and #VDBVeganBurgersandBurritosCookbook!

1 year: Cherry Chocolate Zucchini Bread // 2 years: Apricot Blueberry Creamsicles / 4 years: Herbed Tofu Tomato Salad // 5 years: Mixed Berry Coffee Cake

Yield: 4 -5 burgers

Down Home BBQ Burger

"Bringing BBQ to your table the nontraditional way. No animals were harmed in this hearty meal, but all of your taste buds will party at the first bite. Slather on as much BBQ sauce as you want and grab a napkin—it’s going to get messy. Hope you aren’t wearing white!" Reprinted with permission from Vegan Burgers and Burritos by Sophia DeSantis, Page Street Publishing Co. 2017.

Ingredients

LEVEL 1

1 cup (160g) cooked brown rice
1 cup (200g) cooked or canned black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup (75g) chopped sweet or yellow onion (see notes)
¼ cup (50g) cooked chopped potato (see notes)
2 tbsp (22g) cornmeal
1 tbsp (15ml) Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce (page 156), or store-bought
2 tsp (5g) garlic powder
2 tsp (5g) chili powder
1 ½ tsp (7ml) liquid smoke
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp maple syrup
¼ to ½ cup (36 to 72g) cooked frozen corn (defrosted to room temp) or fresh corn (add less or more per your preference)

TO SERVE

4 to 5 buns
Lightly grilled rings of sweet or yellow onion
Lettuce
Tomato
Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce (page 156), or store-bought

Instructions

Place the rice, beans, onion, potato, cornmeal, BBQ sauce, garlic powder, chili powder, liquid smoke, salt and syrup into a food processor. Pulse a few times until chunky. Add the corn and pulse a few more times. Don’t overpulse or the mixture will get too soft and diplike.
Place the mixture into a bowl, and put it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes; an hour is best. Making this the day before and letting it sit overnight is optimal. This helps all the flavors marinate and leads to a sturdier burger.
To cook, shape the mixture into patties. If you’re not using a nonstick pan, then you may want to prepare the pan by brushing it with a tad of oil to avoid sticking. Place the patties in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat for 15 minutes on each side. Pans and stovetops vary, so begin to check the patties at 10 minutes. If you try to slide yourspatula under a patty and it won’t give, then it isn’t ready and needs to cook longer.
You can also bake the patties on a parchment-lined cookie sheet at 375F (191C) for about 20 to 25 minutes on each side. Allow the patties to cool and set for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve on buns with the toppings of your choice.

Notes

Notes: Save some rings of onion to use as an optional topping. Cook the onion after you sauté the burger ingredients. Any type of starchy potato works—I use red. Sweet potato is not recommended as it is not starchy enough. Cook the potato in the microwave or oven. I don’t recommend boiling it because it makes the potato too wet. Measure the potato by mashing it into the measuring cup.

Kids: Make patties into a smaller slider size or into nuggets. Serve sauce on the side as a dipper.