Garlicky Kale Burgers
These garlicky kale burgers are a hearty, satisfying, and delicious way to get your greens — bursting with texture and wholesome ingredients, they're perfect for everything from summer cookouts to easy weeknight dinners.
Servings: 4 to 6 burgers
Calories: 401kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounces curly kale, about 1 small bunch or half of a large bunch
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For Serving:
- 4 to 6 burger buns
- Toppings of choice
Instructions
- Clean and remove stems from your kale leaves, then roughly chop them up.
- Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place it over high heat. Place your kale into a steamer basket. Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat so that the water is simmering, place the steamer basket into the pot, and cover. Steam the kale until wilted, about 4 minutes (Note 1).
- Place kale leaves into a large food processor bowl fitted with an s-blade, along with the beans, breadcrumbs, sunflower seeds, basil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Run the machine briefly, then stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl and redistribute the ingredients with a rubber spatula. Repeat this until the ingredients are finely chopped and well combined, but the mixture still has some texture (Note 2). Taste-test the mixture and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties.
- Lightly oil the bottom of a medium skillet and place it over medium heat. Working in batches if needed, place the patties into skillet and cook them for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned.
- Stuff the patties into buns and top with toppings of choice. Serve.
Notes
- You can steam the kale in batches if it won't all fit into the basket. Alternatively, you can boil the kale for 3 to 4 minutes, but make sure to blot it dry when it's done. Another alternative is to simply place the kale on a microwave-safe dish, cover it with a wet paper towel, and microwave it for 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful when handling the dish and wet paper towel, which will be hot.
- My food processor has an 11 cup capacity, and it's just large enough to accommodate the ingredients. If you have any doubt, blend the ingredients in batches, transferring each batch to a large bowl when done, then mixing them by hand.
- Nutrition information assumes you're making 4 burgers.
Nutrition
Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1105mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5826IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 314mg | Iron: 6mg