Meatless Monday: Summer Corn Veggie Burgers With Sunflower Seed Pesto

Happy 4th of July weekend! It is the perfect time to enjoy fresh summer fruits and vegetables. This week's Meatless Monday recipe is Summer Corn Veggie Burgers with Sunflower Seed Pesto!

The patty is primarily made with chickpeas, corn, basil and sunflower seeds. A portion of the corn kernels are left out of the food processor and manually stirred in for texture. Some of those kernels will hit the hot pan and get nice and caramelized. On top of the patty sits roasted tomatoes and a healthy smear of sunflower basil pesto. While amazing with the tomatoes and pesto, the patties are also delicious when eaten on their own - not even a bun needed!

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As with most veggie burgers, these need to be handled gently but they will stay together and develop a nice pan fried crust on the outside. The list of ingredients and instructions may seem long, but these come together quickly not including the hour chill time.

Find more vegetarian and dessert recipes on my blog!

Summer Corn Veggie Burgers with Sunflower Seed Pesto
Makes 5 - 6 patties

• 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

• 1/2 shallot

• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (from approximately 3 - 4 ears)

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 15.5 ounces canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 3/4 cup basil leaves

• 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano

• 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

• 1 large egg, lightly whisked

• 1.5 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and pepper, for seasoning

• hamburger rolls, for serving

Directions

Add the roasted sunflower seeds to the food processor and process into a fine crumb. Set aside and wipe the bowl clean

Add the shallot to the food processor and process until finely chopped (or manually chop). Set aside and rinse the bowl clean

Heat a tablespoon of unsalted butter over medium heat in a large skillet. When hot, add the corn kernels and shallot and season with salt and pepper

Cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 6 - 7 minutes. The shallots should be soft and the corn should be tender but not mushy. Set aside and allow to slightly cool

Set aside 1/2 cup of the corn mixture and add the remaining corn, chickpeas, basil and cheese to the food processor

Process until everything is combined and you are left with small pieces of the ingredients but stop before your mixture turns into a hummus

Transfer to a large bowl and stir in 1/4 cup of the processed sunflower seeds (set aside the rest for the pesto or another use) and the breadcrumbs

Taste your mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste (see note). Add the egg and stir until incorporated throughout

Use approximately 1/2 cup of the mixture to form each patty with a height of about 1/2 inch. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. This will help them stay together

After an hour, heat 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. If you need to do multiple batches, add additional oil with each batch

When the oil is hot, add the burgers, cover, and cook without moving for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and carefully flip each patty. They should have a nice crust on the cooked side. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, uncovered

To assemble, spread the pesto (see below) on one side of the bun and top with the patty. Add the roasted tomatoes on top and enjoy!

Note: A few of the ingredients will have varying levels of salt depending on the brand used (chickpeas, breadcrumbs, sunflower seeds). It is very important to taste the mixture prior to the egg and season according to your tastes. I added approximately 1/4 tsp of salt

* I do not recommend cooking this burger on the grill

Sunflower Seed Pesto

• 1 cup basil leaves

• 1/4 cup ground roasted sunflower seeds

• 1 small garlic clove

• 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• salt and pepper, for seasoning

Directions

Add the basil, sunflower seeds, garlic and cheese to a food processor and process until finely chopped and combined. Slowly add in the olive oil until incorporated. Taste and add salt and pepper.

Roasted Tomatoes

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes

• 1.5 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cherry tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until the tomatoes burst and brown slightly - approximately 20 - 25 minutes.