Best Veggie Burgers

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Finely crumble tofu and squeeze out extra water with your hands. Place in a large bowl and stir in breadcrumbs, broccoli, carrot, onion, bell pepper, mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic, salt and pepper. Add eggs and thoroughly combine the mixture with your hands until it holds together enough to form patties.
3. Form the mixture into six 3 1/2 -inch patties (using about 3/4 cup of the mixture each) and place on the prepared baking sheet. (If the mixture crumbles a little as you transfer it to the pan, gently pat and squeeze the patty back together on the pan.) Coat the top of each patty with cooking spray.
4. Bake the burgers until firm to the touch and starting to brown, about 20 minutes.
5. Combine mayonnaise, paprika and the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic in a small bowl. Serve the burgers on buns with the seasoned mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato (if using).

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cool the baked patties, individually wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in an oiled nonstick skillet over medium heat until golden brown.

• Tips: To make your own fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from whole-wheat bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. To make fine breadcrumbs, process until very fine. To make dry breadcrumbs, spread coarse or fine breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until dry, about 10 to 15 minutes. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs or about 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs. For store-bought coarse dry breadcrumbs we like Ian’s brand, labeled “Panko breadcrumbs.” Find them at well-stocked supermarkets.
• Paprika is a spice made from grinding dried red peppers. Paprika specifically labeled Hungarian delivers a fuller, richer flavor than regular paprika. Smoked paprika is made from smoke-dried red peppers and adds earthy, smoky flavor. It can be used in many types of savory dishes. Look for different types of paprika at some large supermarkets or at tienda.com or penzeys.com.

Nutrition