These beet burgers are a family favorite and have been a big hit with the kids in all my cooking classes. It is also one of my quickest burger recipes to make for a meal that looks like a lot of effort has gone into it (ahem, made-from-scratch patties!). They are hearty, nutritious, delicious, good-looking and so much fun to make! 

The earthiness of beets is not to everyone’s taste and they do tend to stain everything they touch with their concentrated ruby red color. But that just makes them even more interesting and endearing to me.

The earthiness comes from a chemical compound called geosmin, which has an earthy odor and flavor. (Ge is the Greek word for ‘earth’ and osem is ‘odor’. Geosmin means ‘earth smell’.) After a rain shower, the air is permeated with the smell of geosmin. Geosmin has no effect on your health, it’s just a matter of personal preference. The earthiness of beets can easily be toned down by combining them with sharp flavors such as vinegar, mustard, sharp cheese varieties, sour cream, yogurt and even chocolate! I love using beets to add a color pop to my food - pink rice, pink yogurt, pink hummus and in this recipe - pink burgers! 

If you love beets, these burgers are for you. On the fence about beets - you will become a fan. Never tasted beets - you will fall in love. Don't like beets - get ready to change your mind. 

BEET BURGERS

(makes 8 patties)

Ingredients

For the patties:

2 cups raw red beets, shredded (2 - 3 beets)

1 cup cooked kidney beans, drained & rinsed well.

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1-¼ cups rolled oats, ground into course flour

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

2 tsp red wine vinegar

150 gms (~5 oz) feta cheese or shredded paneer

1 big handful fresh basil, chopped

2 tbsp ground flax seeds

¼ tsp pepper

Salt to taste

2 - 3 tbsp ghee or fat of choice for pan frying

choose your fillings:

8 burger buns

mayo

hummus

basil pesto

tomato

onion

greens

avocado

pickled jalapeno

Preparation:

Peel and shred the raw beets and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Mash the kidney beans with the back of a fork and add them with the beets. Add in chopped onions, minced garlic, oat flour, tamari, vinegar, feta, basil, ground flax, salt & pepper and mix to combine. I find it best to do this with my hands.

Cover and set aside for about 30 mins. Taste the mix and adjust seasoning before you shape the patties.

While the burger mix is resting, prepare your fillings and get an assembly line ready.

Divide the mix into 8 equal portions and shape into patties.

Heat a cast iron griddle or skillet to medium hot. Add a knob of ghee to coat the base of the pan completely. Transfer the patties to the griddle in batches so they fit comfortably with enough room for flipping. Cook on both sides until they have a nice golden crust. Approximately 2 minutes per side.

Serve on lightly toasted burger buns with your choice of fillings.

Recipe Notes:

Pickled jalapeno elevates the burger to another level. Add it as a topping or even in the burger mix portioned out for the adults.

It’s important to let the mixture rest as it allows for the flavors to mingle and lets the oat flour absorb the excess moisture from the beets so that you are able to shape the patties. If at the time of making the patties you feel that they need more structure, add some more oat flour.

You can make the burger mix A DAY AHEAD. Shape the patties before pan frying.

To make it VEGAN, swap feta with firm tofu. Drain and press the tofu to get most of the moisture out before adding it to the burger mix.

To make it GLUTEN FREE, use tamari, gluten free oats and gluten free burger buns. Or skip the bun and serve the patties on a bed of dressed salad greens.

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Illustrated by Trupti Bane

Get the kids cooking:

Wearing aprons to protect your clothing is a good idea when making this recipe!

Kids love handling beets. They usually get the vibrant red color on their hands and pretend like they are bleeding. Indulge them by going along with their pretend play for some fun in the kitchen. Some little ones may need a heads-up about the color transferring onto their hands. 

If using a box grater to shred the beets, your kids are the best person for this 'boring' job. They may even beg you to let them do it. Show them how to and supervise closely. 

Children can get their hands into the batter mix to combine the ingredients and shape the patties. Older ones may even try their hand at flipping the patties while cooking.

Kids can choose their toppings and everyone can assemble their own burger with toppings of their choice.

Did you know?

A 2012 British Study determined that fit men and women who had eaten a serving of whole beets daily for several days could run faster than they could when they had eaten a serving of other vegetables. Motivated by these findings, a number of British athletes who competed in the 2012 summer Olympics drank beet juice rather than Gatorade before their events, including Mohamed (Mo) Farah, who won the gold medal for the men’s five and ten kilometer races.

*Eating on the Wild Side

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Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram and tag it with the hashtag #nibblengobble.