Now that Trader Joe's visits are more rare, I really pay attention when I scan the aisles, and today their Pea-Protein Burgers caught my eye! This was my first time trying it, so I went extra fancy with the toppings to give it the best chance at success. The texture was similar to a black bean burger as opposed to ground meat, but the appearance was impressive and it was hearty and filling enough to make the whole burger experience pretty satisfying. It was a bit on the pricey side (2 burgers for $4.49) but in conclusion, I liked it and would probably try it again or another plant-based burger in the future!
But if you're more into traditional burgers, ground meat also works great with these homemade toppings that are healthier than typical condiments. I made a mix of both types of patties, and serving assembly-line style lets everyone create their ultimate burger!
Ingredients:
Burger buns (Trader Joe's Honey Wheat burger buns were pretty good)
Plant-based patties or Ground beef
(Toppings)
Grilled Onions
Lettuce
Sliced Tomato
(Tomato Jam)
1/4 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 can of Italian-stewed tomatoes (this speeds up the time it takes for the sauce to reduce, but diced fresh tomatoes also works great)
1 tsp cumin, onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp brown sugar
A dash of Salt / White pepper
(Special Sauce)
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup cashews
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp tahini (aka blended sesame-seed paste used in a lot of Mediterranean cooking)
2 tbsp lemon juice (source recipe used pickle juice, so that's another option)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
A dash of Salt/ White pepper
Directions:
(Tomato Jam) Add the 1/4 of an onion and 3 cloves of garlic to a small saucepan on high heat. Cook 2-4 minutes until onions are translucent. Add all the spices (cumin, onion powder, paprika) to the onions and cook for ~1 minute until the spices are toasted and fragrant. Add the brown sugar, salt/ white pepper, and can of Italian-stewed tomatoes. Turn the heat to medium and let the sauce reduce for 15-25 minutes until it thickens into a spreadable consistency.
(Prep) Wash the lettuce, grill the onion, slice the tomatoes.
Toast the buns on a hot pan with a bit of vegan butter/ butter and set them aside.
(Special Sauce)
Add 1/4 cup boiling water to 1/4 cup of cashews in a blender. Let the cashews soak for a few minutes, and then add the rest of the listed ingredients. Blend everything together for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the sauce into a pan over high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens. (If you want the sauce to better mimic the light, refreshing feel of other sauces, you can scoop it into a bowl that's in an ice-water bath to cool it down quickly)
(Traditional Beef Patties)
Form the meat into a disc that's larger than your bun (it will shrink after cooking) and push down the center of the patty (this helps the cooked burger stay flat). Sprinkle both sides with salt & pepper.
Heat a large skillet on high heat. Once hot, cook the patties for 3-5 minutes on each side.
(Plant-based Patties)
Sprinkle both sides with salt & pepper. Cook according to package directions.
(Serve) Assemble your burgers with all the toppings and enjoy!
NOTES:
The pictured burger is actually vegan! (but you can also add cheese or make any adjustments if you prefer)
Special Sauce - Many recipes for different burger sauces are mayo-based, but this equally creamy cashew-based sauce perfectly fills the same role (even better in my opinion) - (also I had no idea what to call it, if you couldn't tell already)
Assembly Tip - If I'm at home, I always cut my bun & burger in half and assemble one half at a time so the second-half of the burger doesn't get soggy.
Source Recipe: Tomato Jam Inspiration from Tasty ; Special Sauce Inspiration from EatCookBake
This seems so so so tasty. I would make this for my family for dinner. Yum!!!