When I started this blog, a couple of readers left comments about preparing beets. One suggested using them in burgers. Got a meat eater in the house who hesitates to eat vegetables? Here’s an idea for sneaking some in.
I most often cook beets for use in a salad, so although Ava suggested beginning with raw beets, I decided to try her idea with some leftover beets that were chilled after slicing and boiling. They appeared to be about equal to the amount of beef I would be using, which was one pound.
Here’s How to Eat More Vegetables When You Don’t Like Them!
After chopping the beets in the food processor, I added an equal amount of ground beef to the work bowl along with some spices. I chose the following seasonings:
- garlic powder
- mustard powder
- sage
- turmeric
- dash of Worcestershire sauce
After pulsing a few times to incorporate ingredients, I mixed in by hand some grated jack cheese; the amount appearing like two dice.
Tasting the Burgers
I decided to make a tester by cooking a tablespoon of the mixture in a skillet. It’s not a bad idea when you’re mixing up a big batch of raw meat, especially if it includes ingredients you’re not used to combining. That way, you can taste and adjust the seasonings if needed before you commit to cooking the entire amount as is.
In this case I was very happy with the result and so I formed some patties and sprinkled some salt on each side before cooking in a hot skillet with grapeseed oil. Ava was right: 3 minutes on each side worked for me too.
After letting the burgers rest on paper towels for a couple of minutes, we put them on French rolls. I enjoyed mine just like that, while Michael put barbecue sauce, onions and pickles on his.
The beets added a pleasant texture and extra juiciness compared to a regular burger, plus we got extra veggies and fiber in there. That means they were very filling, so we ate less than we might have otherwise, and we had burgers left over for lunch the next day. Reheated, they were great served alongside a salad.
Eating More Vegetables When You Don’t Like Them Just Got More Exotic
The next time I tried this idea, I used ground venison and mixed it with an equal part roasted beet. I decided to season it Middle Eastern “kofta” style with:
- garlic powder
- minced onion
- turmeric
- cumin
- cardamom
- cinnamon
- ginger
- mint
Salt the patties and cook in a skillet for 3 minutes on each side. Served garlic yogurt on the side along with roasted cauliflower with balsamic vinegar reduction.
These burgers are so juicy…you may never go back to your typical burger again! I’ll bet you can even make a believer out of a non-beet lover. What about non-squash lovers? Have you tried my macaroni and cheese yet? It’s more squash than cheese, but they will never know! It’s A Great Way to Squash Their Prejudice. You can learn how to eat more vegetables when you don’t like them.
Love this will try to make it this week thank you Karyn 🧡