Mushroom Gouda Burgers - Everyday Annie

I’ve been on a major mushroom kick lately. Combined with the fact that we are always trying to eat more meatless meals, I suppose a mushroom veggie burger was bound to happy eventually. A veggie burger made primarily of mushrooms definitely had the potential to fall apart, but I recently learned that oats can be an excellent binder in meatless patties. The oats give the patties some stability but you don’t taste them at all. I decided to give that technique a try here by combining ground oats with a big pile of sautéed mushrooms and it worked amazingly well.

Our family agreed that if we didn’t know what was in them, we would have thought these were actually meat. Both the texture and flavor were incredibly similar. They are sturdy enough for grilling but if the weather doesn’t cooperate, they are great cooked in a skillet as well. For a nice little touch, spread a bit of garlic herb compound butter on the buns before toasting – it totally takes them to the next level.

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
16 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
½ tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1 large egg
½-¾ cup panko
1/3 cup coarsely shredded Gouda cheese, plus more for topping
Burger buns, split and toasted, for serving
Lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced onion, for serving

Directions

01
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have cooked down and almost all of their liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 30-60 seconds more. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
02
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the oats until they are as finely ground as possible. Add in the mushroom mixture, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme. Pulse the mixture until the mushrooms are very finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the egg and ½ cup of the panko. Let the mixture stand a few minutes so that the oats will absorb some moisture. Fold in the shredded gouda and, if needed, the additional panko. Form the mixture into 4 equal patties.
03
Cook the patties as desired, either in a skillet or on a grill, turning once and cooking until both sides are evenly browned and the patties are warmed through. A few minutes before the second side is finished cooking, top with additional Gouda and cook until melted. Serve on toasted burger buns with lettuce, tomato and onion, as desired.