It’s become so much easier to get Steve to have a meat-free night once a week. I’ve been expanding my recipes to exclude meat and even gluten. This dish hits on both those marks.

My Sweet Potato Burgers are so flavorful and satisfying that you won’t miss the meat. Topped with avocado slices, wrapped in a whole grain gluten-free flatbread, or just using bib lettuce as your vessel, makes no difference. My Sweet Potato Burgers are delicious.

I wanted to use a flatbread as a vessel for these burgers. I wasn’t able to find this particular hinged-brand in a gluten-free variety, but they do offer gluten-free flatbreads. I’d previously bought a package of these hinged flatbreads to try because they’re great for burgers and sandwiches.

I used one of the hinged flatbreads as a pattern, turning the regular whole-grain flatbreads into hinged-style flatbreads. I used a piece of parchment paper to trace the outline of the hinged flatbread. I laid it over the gluten-free flatbread and cut it out using a paring knife. Now I have a slice of gluten-free hinged bread. In time, they may offer this type of bread in a gluten-free variety. You could use a leaf of Bibb (Boston) lettuce as a vessel, too!

These are some of the ingredients I’m using to make these delicious Sweet Potato Burgers. First, I think the best way to incorporate sweetness and to keep these burgers moist, not dry,  is to add a little apple sauce. When I go to the market, I’m looking for something completely natural. I decided to use a jar of baby’s puréed first apples as one of the ingredients. What’s more natural than that?  Okay, so here’s how I start.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Yields: 6 servings
Equipment: 1 (12-inch) non-stick sauté pan, 6 pieces of parchment paper, paring knife, large mixing bowl, chef’s knife, cutting board, rimmed baking sheet pan, pencil, salad spinner

Ingredients for the Sweet Potato Burgers:
6 gluten-free whole-grain flatbreads (traced and cut into hinged flatbreads)
3 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup of organic baby apple purée
1/4 cup of flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1/4 cup of gluten-free flour
2 cups of gluten-free bread crumbs (this amount may vary slightly)
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, freshly-grated
3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons of butter, unsalted, and divided

Ingredients for the Pesto Mayonnaise:
1/2 cup of good mayo
2 heaping tablespoons of store-bought fresh basil pesto

Ingredients for the Toppings:
1/2 cup of baby Arugula
2 avocados, sliced
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper, freshly-ground to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the cleaned and dried sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Prick the potatoes with a fork to release steam, and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Instructions for making the Flatbread:
While the sweet potatoes are baking, prepare the gluten-free hinged flatbreads using the store-bought hinged flatbread as a pattern. Prepare a total of six.

I wanted to use a flatbread as a vessel for these burgers. I wasn’t able to find this particular hinged-brand in a gluten-free variety, but they do offer gluten-free flatbreads. I’d previously bought a package of these hinged flatbreads to try because they’re great for burgers and sandwiches.

I used one of the hinged flatbreads as a pattern, turning the regular whole-grain flatbreads into hinged-style flatbreads. I used a piece of parchment paper to trace the outline of the hinged flatbread. I laid it over the gluten-free flatbread and cut it out using a paring knife. Now I have a slice of gluten-free hinged bread. In time, they may offer this type of bread in a gluten-free variety. You could use a leaf of Bibb (Boston) lettuce as a vessel, too!

Instructions for the Pesto Mayonnaise:
In a small mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup of good mayonnaise and 2 heaping tablespoons of fresh basil pesto, stir to combine. Refrigerate until needed.

Instructions for the Sweet Potato Burgers:
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop out the flesh into a large mixing bowl. Using a potato masher, mash the sweet potatoes with the Cannellini beans. It’s fine if the beans are not fully mashed into the potatoes. This gives the burgers great texture.

Add a beaten egg, apple purée, chili powder, ground coriander, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, gluten-free flour, gluten-free bread crumbs, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley, kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper. Mix until fully combined. You want the sweet potato mixture to have the consistency of ground meat.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil together. Add the patties to the pan two at a time. Cook until golden brown and caramelized, about 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked patties to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Repeat the process until all 6 patties are cooked.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the Basil Pesto Mayonnaise on both sides of the flatbread. Add a Sweet Potato Burger and a few baby arugula leaves, and top with seasoned slices of avocado. Finish by wrapping the burgers in parchment paper.

There you have it, my Sweet Potato Burgers.

Notes:
1) Take advantage of fresh store-bought basil pesto in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

2) Transfer the sweet potato mixture to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up before making the patties. Divide the sweet potato mixture into six equal portions and form into patties.

3) Transfer the cooked patties to a plate and cover tightly with foil to keep warm while you finish cooking the remaining patties. You can also refrigerate the uncooked patties. Place them on a plate tightly wrapped in plastic wrap until you’re ready to cook them.

4) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/