Vegetarian Mushroom Burger Recipe- Make Veggie Burger, Shepherd Pie, and Ravioli With This Veggie Burger Mixture

 Veggie burger patty made from chopped mushrooms, ready for 

all the fixins. Personal Photo.

I tried a mushroom-based veggie burger recipe last week.  I was home alone for the week, so I used my mushroom burger mixture 3 ways.  I made a small Shepherd’s Pie, a large veggie burger, and mushroom ravioli.  Make sure to scroll down and see my photos. 

I’ve tried several vegetarian burger recipes that were quite tasty, but I wanted to find a veggie burger recipe for a patty with the taste and texture similar to a ground beef burger.  I made some inquiries as to the secret of a great tasting and textured veggie burger.  The conclusion?  The secret to a great veggie burger is mushrooms. 

So the search for the best mushroom-based veggie patty was on.  I found this recipe on about.com, which was adapted from Lisa’s Mushroom Burgers.  I think this recipe is a winner.  Still not quite like a ground beef burger, but I think I’m on my way.  I followed the ingredients pretty closely, except I only had a pound of Baby Bella mushrooms, instead of 1 ½ pounds of mixed variety mushrooms.  I reduced the other ingredients accordingly.  Also I finely chopped my mushrooms instead of doing a large rough cut. 

 Mushroom Veggie Burger

Personal Photo

Here’s my version of the basic recipe: 

1 lb Baby Bella mushrooms

2 tablespoons oil

1 small onion, ¼ to 1/3 cup, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup quick oats

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup dried breadcrumbs

1 medium egg, beaten

½ tsp Italian seasoning

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

I separated the stems from my mushrooms and covered them with water.  I changed the water once, then washed them again in a bowl of water.  I let them dry on paper towel. 

I finely chopped my onion in the food processor.  I put the garlic in the food processor too, but it left some chunks, which burned when frying the patty, so next time I will use my garlic press.  Set aside onions and garlic. 

The original recipe instructs to roughly chop the mushrooms, and shows a photo of a burger patty with fairly large slices of mushroom.  I didn’t think the burgers would hold together very well with such big pieces of mushroom, so I pulsed my mushrooms in the food processor. 

Sauté onions and garlic in coconut oil or olive oil.  Set aside in a bowl.  Sauté mushrooms in hot oil, about 10 minutes.  Drain any liquid. 

Combine onions, garlic, and mushrooms with remaining ingredients. 

Mushroom burger mixture, Personal Photo

For burgers, form into 3 to 4 patties and fry in hot oil, about 5 minutes per side. 

 Mushroom Veggie Burger frying

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I chopped and sautéed my mushrooms, garlic, and mushrooms the first night, and refrigerated until the next day.  That second night, I combined all the ingredients, and set about dividing my mixture for my 3 dishes.  I put about 1/3 cup of my mixture in a glass container and refrigerated for making ravioli the third night.  (I didn’t want to store it for more than 24 hours because of the egg.) 

Next, I made myself a nice large patty and fried it nice and crispy on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.  I refrigerated it for day 4. 

The remaining mushroom burger mixture I used to make a small Shepherd’s Pie.  I placed the mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish. 

Mushroom Burger veggie mixture

Personal Photo

I topped the “meatloaf” with corn and peas.  I had boiled some potatoes and prepared whipped potatoes with the potatoes, butter, and milk.  I also added in some Parmesan cheese.  I topped my casserole with the potatoes. 

Mushroom burger topped with corn and peas, then potatoes

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I baked my Shepherd’s Pie at 350° for about 50 minutes.  

Shepherd Pie hot out of the oven

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Overall, I was very pleased with the results.  I had used a very large egg, and will reduce the egg next time.  The mixture needs egg as a binder, but the jumbo sized egg was a little too much, and affected the texture.  Also I might make individual sized casseroles next time, and fry the patty first, which will help the texture.  I have already eaten 2 meals from my Shepherd’s Pie, and still have a portion in the frig.  I might make some brown gravy to pour over the portions next time.  Since this recipe does not have meat, there is not the juice that hamburger would produce, so I’m going to try gravy. 

Serving of Shepherd's Pie

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The third day I have Shepherd Pie for lunch.  As with many things, it was better after being refrigerated.  It helped the flavor and the texture.  

That night I made my ravioli.  Wonton ravioli is easier than it sounds.  I place a rounded teaspoon of mushroom mixture on a small wonton wrapper.  After placing the filling on the wrapper, just wet a finger and run around the edge of the wrapper.   Fold wrapper over, pressing the air out, and pressing the edges to seal. 

Veggie Mushroom Burger mixture on Wonton skin

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Drop ravioli into boiling water, about 3 at a time.  Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then spoon onto a cooling rack, or onto a colander, being careful not to overlap ravioli. 

Boil ravioli 2 or 3 at a time, Personal Photo

Serve with favorite pasta sauce.  I used Bertolli Alfredo sauce.  This super simple ravioli was fabulous!  I made 6 raviolis, intending to eat 3 and have a salad.  I was going to share 3 with a friend later, but I’m afraid I ate all 6! 

Mushroom Ravioli with Alfredo, Personal Photo

On day 4 I made a nice large veggie burger for my lunch.  I used all the “usual suspects”- cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and mayo on an onion roll.  This was a really good burger. 

 Mushroom Veggie Burger ready to eat

Personal Photo