One of my goals for August (and onward) is to start making big batches of veggie burgers. I’ve been relying far too much on boxed frozen veggie burgers and the cost really starts to add up. I usually buy Amy’s California burgers and they cost between $6-8 for 4 patties, depending on the grocery store. Plus, homemade veggie burgers are just so much better.
On Sunday, I made a double batch of Our Perfect Veggie Burgers and this week I made a double batch of Spicy BBQ Chickpea Burgers. I’ll be bringing a bunch of them to Eric’s big 3-0 birthday party on Saturday. There should be about 40 people!
I must say, these BBQ chickpea burgers are a new fav. The prep is a bit quicker than the other ones and I enjoy them just as much.
(Edited to add: After defrosting the Chickpea BBQ Burgers this weekend, the burgers did not hold well together. They seem to have too much moisture after freezing. I would recommend using the Our Perfect Veggie Burgers recipe, as I have had good results when freezing these.)
Using the Spicy BBQ Chickpea Burger recipe, I doubled all of the ingredients and made 16 patties. I’ve also been making beans from scratch to save more money. I soaked 2 cups of uncooked chickpeas overnight in a huge bowl of water. Once they have soaked, it’s only about 35 minutes or so to cook them on the stovetop (throw in a piece of kombu for easier digestion). You can also make big batches of beans and legumes on the weekend and freeze them for quick weeknight dinners. I’m slowly starting to get into the habit of doing this on a regular basis!
While the chickpeas and brown rice cook, prep the veggies: fresh parsley, red onion, shredded carrot, red pepper, jalapeno, and garlic.
Place everything into a huge bowl. My biggest bowl still was not quite big enough for this double batch, but I managed ok!
Stir in the pepita and sunflower seeds, along with the other ingredients like ground flax, seasonings, breadcrumbs, etc.
Because I made two big pots of chickpeas and brown rice, I decided to throw the rice and chickpeas in the food processor instead of mashing by hand like I did the first time. This saved a lot of time!
Stir it all up – you can even get in there with your hands to mix it up really good! Season it all to taste. Don’t be shy with the salt – this huge bowl of batter needs a good dose to make it all pop. I used 1-1.5 tsp fine grain sea salt.
Now shape the batter into about 16 patties and place on a very large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cover with wrap.
Clear out room in your freezer and place the baking sheet right in. Freeze the patties for about 45-60 mins or so.
[my freezer needs an intervention…]
Once the raw patties are frozen, place them in a freezer safe bag. If there are any ice crystals on the burgers, scrape them off first. I use Ziplock BPA-free large freezer bags (with the zipper). Don’t forget to wash the bags out and re-use when you are finished with the burgers!
I cut a piece of the parchment to place in between the layers so they don’t stick. Take a straw and suck out the air and seal quickly. Easy!
This is my first time freezing veggie burgers like this (I used to wrap them individually), but I’ve read this method should keep them fresh for up to 1 month in the freezer. Thaw on the counter or in the fridge before pan-frying.
It took me just under 1.5 hours to prep 16 veggie burgers – a lot less time than I thought and I saved quite a bit of money too.
While we’re on the topic of make-ahead foods, what are your favourite dishes to prep in advance? Let me know in the comments!
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It’s now day 9 of The August Challenge and I’ve been documenting my daily feats on the August challenge page to stay accountable. Time is a flyin’! There are so many great comments on the page with many of you sharing your stories. You know, I had my doubts about this challenge from the get-go (if I could even do it and if you’d be interested), but I’m really happy with how things are going. August is shaping up to be a great month! And don’t worry if you are starting late, jump in at any time. I’m already considering doing this into September because I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would.
I just love the idea of doing anything at all to get ahead and stay organized! Those burgers look delicious!
As for your freezer, yes, it DOES need an intervention! LOL! Have you thought of putting in the shelves that run side to side and also stack on top of each other? Then you can have room for everything but still see it all and it is organized neatly!
Btw, Angela, I know you have been talking about overcoming fears lately and I think what you are doing and sharing is outstanding. I wondered if you have ever heard of a flower essence called Mimulus. It is the remedy for fears and anxiety. There are some powerful testimonials out there for how it has helped people with anxiety. I though you might be interested in knowing about it! Here are a couple links if you want to know about it:
http://www.bachcentre.com/centre/38/mimulus.htm
http://floremedies.com/mimulus.php
Have a wonderful day, Angela!
Great post Angela – I love to do make ahead veggie burgers – and I love that when we do these things (soak beans, cook from scratch, reuse plastic bags…), we save money, our health and the environment in one fell swoop! My favorite things to make ahead are things that can be ‘convenience foods’ but healthier – veggie burgers, muffins, hashbrowns, beans, rolls, rice, quinoa etc – not full meals (my freezers are so full – I do not know how I could fit casseroles in there!)- but things I can pull out, chop some veggies and voila – a meal!
Angela,
This is such a simple yet helpful post. Very Inspiring.
I subscribe and read your posts every week and love them.
Julie and I really like to make soups in advance and freeze them. We also love making huge bowls of bean salads or grain salads and taking it for lunches throughout the week. We also almost always have some kind of hummus or dip in the fridge for quick and easy snacking! the veggie burgers look delicious, by the way- we can never get enough veggie burgers :)
Great post! Thanks so much!!!
My freezer looks like yours. Gonna make these on Sunday. Thanks!
This is so wonderful! I can’t wait to give this a try – I rely on the frozen kind too often, too! Just out of curiosity, what was the final cost of the homemade version?
Im not sure, didnt calculate it out. I wouldnt expect that much though since I made it all from dry beans.
I LOVE veggie burgers and am actually on the “quest” to find the best one ;) I love using the food processor to speed up prep time!
Hi! Your veggie burgers sound really good! I can’t wait to try them! I love your blog- it has inspired me and given me lots of amazing recipes (especially your desserts) :)
These look absolutely amazing!! As a vegetarian, I am always turned off to making veggie burgers at home. Not because they don’t look or sound delicious (because they always do…), but because I just don’t have the time and/or patience when I get home from work to do all of the prep work. I don’t know why I have never thought to make a huge batch like this and freeze them!! I am so excited to try this for next week :)
I’m totally with you on the prep work! Fighting rush hour traffic and then cooking a super-involved meal just isn’t always an option. It’s no wonder crock pot meals are a weekly staple at my house haha :)
I make “Your” Perfect Veggie Burgers, cook them on the stove stop and then freeze. Quick easy lunch to take to work! Thanks for all the great recipes!
What a super idea! Then they are always on hand- and I love seeing the inside of your freezer looks just like mine…
i too like to make large pots of beans for the freezer. i freeze them in batches on a cookie sheet so they’re individually frozen, then store them all in 1 big bag in the freezer. that way i can take just what i need, leave the rest for later & don’t need to eat the same thing for days on end (it’s just me & the cat won’t touch them!). i’m not fond of veggie burgers but perhaps i’ll give these a try since they’re getting rave reviews!?
Believe it or not but your Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese freezes very well. I do a vegan freezer exchange with friends once a month and it is a favorite. Freezing Chinese dumplings, vegan ravioli and pierogi works wonderfully. They are all fairly labor intensive to create but make an easy side dish to pull out and cook however many you need.
What a great recipe!! This is just what I needed to leave my parents with some freezer-ready veggie burgers when I head back to college in a week! My favorite dish to prep in advance is probably frozen fruits for smoothies, shakes, soft-serve, etc. I’ll never starve if there’s a banana close by (preferably with some cocoa powder and vanilla extract too)! haha
that is clever. veggies burgers are REALLY hard to come by in Australia..so this a very simple way to make them and save them. I love veggie burgers.
Really great recipe, can’t wait to try it – it’s just a brilliant alternative to junk. Thanks for this, love all your posts :)
In Turkey we put zucchini ,green onion and dill in it extra.(dill is a must)
you should try ,it is wonderful.
loves from Turkey
This is so helpful! I have only made my own veggie burgers once, and they were fabulous. However, the hubs and I agreed that it just took waaaaaay too long to do. Perhaps this will help in the future. Thanks!
Your burgers look great! I love freezer cooking – actually started a blog on vegan freezer cooking. My favorite right now is mashed potatoes – they freeze great, and I make them in individual servings so we can just take one or two out and have a dinner side dish.