Stacked with fresh greens and a flavorful, homemade green olive-basil aioli, these white bean zucchini burgers are just the refreshing meal with tons of flavor that you need.
To keep you company the rest of summer, I’ve got these incredibly flavorful, summery gluten-free burgers on deck. They were inspired by this delicious-looking version from Tending the Table, but with some green Farmer’s Market vegetables for good measure. 
I’ve made these burgers two ways. One involves just throwing all the ingredients into a food processor and pureeing. This burger is on the wetter side—closer to a pancake batter than a burger dough. They’ll still hold together in a pan: just transfer using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup and wait until fully firm on the bottom before flipping and finish in the oven.
The second way involves a little more effort, but perhaps will make for a more seamless cooking experience: grate the zucchini by hand and squeeze out all the liquid in a cheesecloth or dish towel, then combine with the pureed beans and all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Either way, the patties themselves are rich, garlicky and delicious—like a white bean falafel. And they taste even more decadent with a Mediterranean-inspired aioli that’s packed with green olives and basil.
Enjoy them as part of your weeknight summer routine. And if you come home from the store having forgotten the zucchini or the white beans, don’t freak out. It happens to all of us.
Click here for the aioli recipe.
Print
White Bean Zucchini Burgers and Green Olive-Basil Aioli
Description
These zucchini white bean burgers are a little on the wetter side. For a dryer burger, grate the zucchini by hand and squeeze out the excess moisture through a dish towel or cheese cloth. Puree the beans and combine all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Refrigerating the “batter” will help them hold better in the pan. To make these vegan, simply swap the egg for a tablespoon of flax or chia seeds. This recipe is loosely inspired by these White Bean Burgers from Tending the Table.
Ingredients
For the burger patties:
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 medium zucchini about 1/3 pound
- One 15oz can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 large egg or 1 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup chickpea flour
- 1/4 cup basil
- Coconut oil
For the aioli:
- Click the link above.
To serve:
- 4 burger buns or English muffins toasted
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- 1 cup Baby arugula leaves or sprouts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a food processor, pulse the garlic and zucchini until roughly chopped. Add the beans, lemon zest, egg, salt, red pepper, flour and basil. Puree until coarsely combined.
- Transfer the burger mixture to the fridge to chill, uncovered, until firmer (10 minutes). You can either leave it in the food processor bowl or scrape into a mixing bowl.
- Heat a thin layer of coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet.
- Using an ice cream scoop (or a 1/2 cup measure), portion the burger mixture and add the balls directly into the skillet (it will be too wet to use your hands). Allow the burgers to get crusty on the first side before disturbing them, about 3 minutes. Using a flat spatula, carefully flip the burgers onto the second side. They should naturally flatten into more of a patty shape, but feel free to gently shape them with your spatula. Cook for another 2 minutes, until nicely browned on the second side.
- Transfer the burger to a parchment-lined baking sheet and finish in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the burgers are firm and have developed a falafel-esque crust around the sides.
- Meanwhile, make the aioli: in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, basil and olives. Alternatively, if you have cleaned the food processor bowl, you can whiz these ingredients in there (no mincing of the garlic, basil and olives necessary).
- To serve, slather each bun with the aioli and top with a burger patty. Divided the avocado and sprouts between the sandwiches, and serve immediately.
Notes
These zucchini white bean burgers are a little on the wetter side. For a dryer burger, grate the zucchini by hand and squeeze out the excess moisture through a dish towel or cheese cloth. Puree the beans and combine all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Refrigerating the “batter” will help them hold better in the pan. To make these vegan, simply swap the egg for a tablespoon of flax or chia seeds.
This recipe is loosely inspired by these White Bean Burgers from Tending the Table.
- Category: Main
