Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers

Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers

Two little pumpkins, too many recipes was I tempted by. For a few weeks the pretty little squashes graced my kitchen table while I imagined the occasion for their sacrifice. The carving knife was finally brought out after I thought of the idea of pumpkin burgers. To fill them out, my thoughts centered on chickpeas.

While pumpkin butchering is a rather laborious experience, the yield is worth the effort: a few cups of flesh stashed away in the freezer, and roasted pumpkin seeds, scrumptious patties and wholesome pumpkin scones were offered up this past weekend. Certainly a cure for the onset of the winter blues.

Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers

I don't recall pairing chickpeas with pumpkin before, but after tasting this vegetarian burger, I now know what I was missing. Modified somewhat from Helen's original recipe, I served these with a slice of rye bread coated with caraway seeds, and my classic tomato chutney, which I also changed by adding soaked sun-dried tomatoes.

Chickpea Pumpkin BurgersChickpea Pumpkin Burgers
Recipe by
Published on November 18, 2008

Simple, nourishing and delicious vegetarian "burgers" made with chickpeas and roasted pumpkin and seasoned with spices and herbs

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Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup dried chickpeas (2 cups cooked or 1 19 oz can)
  • 1 1/3 cups roasted pumpkin (see below)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • pinch of cayenne
  • large handful of fresh basil, chopped
  • large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan)
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • olive oil for brushing and frying
Instructions:
  • Rinse the chickpeas and soak for 8 hours or overnight in several inches of water. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are soft. Drain and set aside.

  • To roast the pumpkin, preheat an oven to 425°. Chop the pumpkin into large pieces and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Cook until the pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork — about 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher.

  • (Otherwise, cook the pumpkin according to your preference. Or, if using canned pumpkin, make sure that it is unsweetened.)

  • Place the chickpeas, pumpkin, onion, garlic, jalapeño, egg, spices and herbs in a food processor. Process until smooth and transfer to a bowl.

  • Stir in the chickpea flour and enough bread crumbs so that the mixture is moist but thick and dry enough to shape into patties about 3 inches in diameter and about 1/2-inch thick. Stir in the salt and pepper.

  • Heat a shallow pool of olive oil over medium heat in a large non-stick pan. Fry the patties for 3 to 5 minutes a side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with your favorite condiments or sauces.

Makes 6 burgers

Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, that burger is calling to me. Looks fantastic. (And now I know what I'm missing, too--must give it a try!).

eatme_delicious said...

Oh yum!! I'd like one for dinner.

courtney said...

Question: Do you think canned pumpkin would work?

I already caved and used our fall pumpkins up (totally worth it!) but I'd really love to make these.

Lisa Turner said...

Courtney, canned pumpkin would work, but try to get some without added spices or sugar. You could also substitute orange-fleshed squash, like Helen did.

Johanna GGG said...

looks delicious - pumpkin and chickpeas is a great combination - I am quite fond of hummus with chickpeas in it!

Lisa Turner said...

Chickpea pumpkin hummus? Is that what you are suggesting Johanna? Now there is an idea! Sublime.

karuna said...

chickpea burger looks good. nice combination with pumpkin.

anudivya said...

They do look great! Never tried pumpkin in a burger of any kind before...

Darius T. Williams said...

simply ingenious!

Usha said...

I don't think I have ever seen pumpkin paired with chickpeas either, looks wonderful...this is definitely a must try recipe :-)

test it comm said...

I like the sound of pumpkin and chickpea burgers!

Anonymous said...

Yum - I'm a huge chickpea fan and those sound great!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Your chickpea burgers held together much better than mine. I will have to compare recipes now to see where I went wrong.

Cynthia said...

I imagine that the pumpkin in here makes the burger moist?

Lisa Turner said...

Cynthia, the pumpkin does indeed make the patties moist, which is why I added some bread crumbs and flour to the recipe. One of the tastiest patties I have made for sure.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

These are perfect for the season Lisa. With the addition of your chutney they would be perfect for dinner tonight!!

Lori S. said...

Made these tonight with canned pumpkin and cilantro as the herb. It was quite moist, so I had to add a LOT of bread crumbs! They were good, but my kids said they prefer our regular falafel recipe, so I probably won't be making this again.

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

I have eaten and made a few chickpea patties, but never in combination with pumpkin. This sounds great. Should try it next.

Anonymous said...

Great combination for a burger. I love making vegetable burgers.

Megan Evans said...

Hi Lisa,
I made these true to the recipe, except I substituted a small grated zucchini for the jalapeno and used canned chickpeas. I had to add I think nearly 3 cups of flour and breadcrumbs to get a consistancy to be able to shape and fry the patties - so they unfortunately didn't taste very good. Any suggestions?

Lisa Turner said...

Hi Meg;

I'm not sure what happened. Mine worked out perfectly. Maybe the zucchini added more moisture to the patties so that you had to add extra flour and breadcrumbs? Sorry you didn't enjoy them as much as I did.

Jennifer said...

I haven't cooked these, but about the zucchini - zucchini has a lot of moisture. If you were to add it to this recipe, you would have to shred it and REALLY squeeze out the water in it. Hope that helps!