It’s funny how ideas come and go. Years ago I created a Zucchini Burger recipe and was super excited about veggie burgers that actually contained vegetables. At the time I was keen to try a broccoli burger.
A few months ago I was talking to my friend Aggie about how useful frozen vegetables are to have up your sleeve (or rather in your freezer). And I remembered the broccoli burger idea.
Which got me thinking about my Best-Ever Broccoli Salad. Which lives up to it’s name because, bacon. And parmesan.
The first time I made these I used almond meal to bulk them out. But when tasted beside these beauties both my Irishman preferred the cleaner broccoli flavours of this nut-free version.
Beautiful Broccoli Burgers
Ingredients
- 500 g frozen broccoli defrosted
- 100 g bacon or ham
- 2 eggs
- 50 g grated parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 bag baby spinach leaves or salad
Instructions
- Turn your oven to 250C (480F).
- Squeeze defrosted broccoli to remove as much moisture as possible to give you about 250g (9oz) broccoli. Place chopped broccoli in a medium bowl. Finely chop bacon (or ham) and add to the broc. Add eggs, parmesan and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
- With clean hands form 1/4 the mixture into a medium patty about 1cm (1/2in) tall. Place on a baking tray lined with paper. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Drizzle with a little oil.
- Bake patties for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown and sizzling. Until the burgers feel cooked and springy when you touch them. If you’re not sure give them more time.
- When the burgers are cooked divide the mayo between 2 plates. Top each with 2 hot burger patties and the leaves and enjoy!
Nutrition
Variations & Substitutions
pantry-friendly – skip the salad.
vegetarian – bacon / ham = feta or sun dried tomatoes or olives.
dairy-free – parmesan = almond meal or fine bread crumbs.
different sauce – I also like them with a sauce made of equal parts Greek yoghurt and mayonnaise. Or try this artichoke aioli or pesto or tomato pesto. And my Irishman recommends Tabasco (but he says that about everything).
more substantial (carb lovers) – burger buns.
more substantial (low carb) – smashed or sliced avocado. + roast nuts.
Low FODMAP – these beef burgers.
different vegetables – frozen cauliflower or any cooked veg will work. Or try grated zucchini. Or see these Spinach Burgers.
more fancy / for entertaining – almond burger buns and a reliable cabbage salad.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
frozen broccoli – keep it frozen.
bacon or ham – freeze it.
eggs – will keep in the fridge for weeks or use for another meal.
parmesan – wrap in baking paper and store in the fridge in a sealed paper bag or airtight container. Will keep for months. Can be frozen if you’re going away.
mayonnaise – unopened in pantry or once opened will keep for months in the fridge.
baby spinach – either freeze or wilt down in a pan with a little oil and then keep in the fridge for weeks.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt! Or add a tasty sauce (see above for ideas).
too dry – overcooked burgers. Next time get them out earlier. For now a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil will help.
no oven – carefully pan fry the patties in a little oil. Make sure they are well cooked before attempting to turn – they can be fragile.
sticking to the tray – next time line with baking paper. For now leaving them to cool for a few minutes can help the patties release.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the salad separately. Leftover burger patties will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, allow to come to room temp or warm in the oven.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
Hi Jules, I’m new to the meal plan. At 76 I had a light bulb moment. It’s all about flavour not carbs.
oohh I LOVE that lightbulb moment Cheryl!
And the carbs tend to be the least flavoursome part 🙂
YES! One of my first baby steps into meal planning and cooking. Jules, thanks for the encouragement. This was delicious. Did it with vegetarian bacon. So much flavor
I didn’t realize until I was pulling out the bag of frozen broccoli to defrost that it was actually a bag of broccoli & cauli, but it still worked well! Used bacon, 2 eggs and almond flour. Really quite delicious!
Fantastic April!
Is the bacon cooked first?
No Anita, it gets cooked in the oven so no need for the extra step – unless you wanted it to be extra crispy 🙂
These were delicious. I accidentally used 100g parmesan. No problems. I will definitely have these on repeat. And how good is frozen broccoli as a pantry staple?
Absolutely Martina! I always have frozen broccoli in the house 🙂
Oh and I used turkey bacon, wonderful flavor.
This is excellent. I used half paremsan and half feta flavored with tomato and basil.
Delicious!
oh yum Arletta – love the sound of your flavoured feta for these.
Would this still work with fresh broccoli? Would I need to undercook it a bit so that it wasn’t overcooked in the burgers?
Absolutely Mark!
I’d steam / boil for 2-3 minutes or so and it should be fab – actually they will be nicer with home cooked broccoli 🙂
Thanks Jules! I have broccoli and feta but not ham or bacon, so I’ll try the veg version in a few days.
The result tasted nice enough. What it didn’t taste of particularly was broccoli. I think that the frozen product, with the broken down cell walls, might be easier to compress and thus concentrate. As it was, they mostly tasted of the cheese and sun-dried tomato that I added.
You know there are people who would say that not tasting like broccoli would be a good thing Mark 😉
Is this suitable for a lunchbox, or will it fall apart? And does it still taste good cold?
With the egg I’d say they would be fine for a lunchbox Ryanne – great idea!
They’d be good cold but I’d let it warm up to room temperature before eating so it has more flavour. Enjoy!
These sound quite interesting, but for me they are way too low in protein. I’m wondering if I could add feta, and/or double the bacon and still have them work. I looked at the variations, and neither nuts nor avocado would add much protein.
Hi Susan, just another subscriber here. If you want to increase the protein to veg ratio, you could try Jules Spinach & Feta Burgers, which would probably work with frozen broccoli in place of the spinach.
Thanks for the idea, Mark. I appreciate your suggesting a solution. I’ll do a detailed check on both recipes.
Detailed check shows that the broccoli burgers are noticeably higher in protein, especially when made with ham.
Goof to know thanks Susan!
Excellent suggestion Mark!
And my first attempt at the broccocoli burgers was exactly that – these burger with broccoli for the spinach. Great minds 🙂
I’d serve them with poached or fried eggs if you want more protein Susan. Or Mark’s suggestion of the spinach & feta burgers 🙂