This meal is an incredible investment piece. Both the eggplant burgers and tomato jam freeze well, so you can heat and eat at a moment’s notice.
Tip
If packing this meal for lunch the next day, skip the bun and place two patties per person on a bed of arugula and top with Roasted Tomato Jam and a little mayo on the side.
Eggplant Burgers with Roasted Tomato Jam and Arugula
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant (about 1 1/2 lbs/750 g)
- 1 1/2 cups (350 mL) cooked short-grain brown rice, cold
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) tahini or almond butter
- 1 cup (250 mL) almond meal (almond flour)
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) tamari almonds, chopped
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) dried currants, chopped
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh mint or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried mint
- 2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice
- 28 oz (796 mL) can whole plum tomatoes
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) vegan butter or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) evaporated cane sugar
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cloves
- 8 whole grain or gluten-free buns, split
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) vegan mayonnaise
- 2 cups (500 mL) baby arugula
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories374
- protein10g
- fat20g
- saturated fat3g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates42g
- sugars15g
- fibre7g
- sodium258mg
Directions
01
Eggplant Burgers
Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C).
On large rimmed baking sheet or glass or ceramic baking dish, add eggplant and pierce several times over with fork. Roast for 35 to 50 minutes, until eggplant has darkened and collapsed. When cool enough to handle, scrape out flesh into fine-mesh sieve (a touch of skin is fine), place over bowl and drain for 10 minutes. Discard eggplant juices or save for another use.
To large bowl, add drained eggplant and rice. Using your hands, squish together eggplant and rice until mixture is evenly blended. Switch to spatula or wooden spoon and mix in tahini or almond butter, almond meal, and garlic, followed by almonds, currants, mint, and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate mixture to firm up a touch, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
Arrange oven racks to accommodate 2 trays. Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and scoop out burger mixture (it will be slightly tacky and wet) to make 8 patties, evenly spacing on baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, remove baking sheets from oven and gently flip, being careful not to break burgers. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, until both sides are golden brown and patties are firm. Cool if packing or storing in refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Roasted Tomato Jam
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
Drain as much liquid from canned tomatoes as possible and add whole tomatoes to large 13 x 9 x 2 in (33 x 23 x 5 cm) baking pan or glass or ceramic casserole dish along with remaining jam ingredients. Put on an apron, then very slowly, using your hands, squish tomatoes until broken into small pieces (the slower, the better, as the juices will go everywhere otherwise). Roast for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, until mixture is thickened and bubbling. Cool and refrigerate, airtight, for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 2 months.
To assemble burgers, reheat burgers in a low oven until warmed through. Toast buns and spread bottoms and tops with mayonnaise. Add a burger patty to the bottom of each bun, followed by tomato jam, arugula, and the top burger bun.
Allison Day is a cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and nutritionist (RHN) with over 12 years’ experience in the world of food media.
