A 100% vegan burger that’s essentially an eggplant slice!
No exaggeration, this burger is packed with flavor.
There’s something about the muhammara and eggplant pairing that is just so perfect sandwiched between a burger bun. And the best part is that it is 100% vegan!
For the burger, I essentially sandwiched two eggplant slices together and added muhammara in between the slices. That way, the burger isn’t messy and you don’t get the muhammara everywhere, plus the burger is a lot “meatier” and “heartier.” But of course if you just want one eggplant “steak,” simply spread the muhammara on top of the eggplant.
If you’re wondering what the heck muhammara is, it is a hot red pepper and walnut dip that originated in Aleppo, Syria. If you’re not digging chickpeas, it’s a great alternative to hummus (and quite possibly my new favorite spread). My family even tried it on hot dogs, and it was pretty darn good. And you can eat it plain with some pita chips. Yum!
I roasted fresh red bell peppers for the dip, but if you’re short on time, you can simply purée all natural canned roasted red peppers, and the dip will come together in no more than five minutes. Just add all the dip ingredients to a food processor or blender, and you’re done.
If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your creation with the hashtag #foodfinessa.
The Vegan Eggplant Muhammara Burger.
Muhammara
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1-1/2 cups walnuts
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Burger
- ½ medium eggplant, cut into ¾” thick slices ((about 4 slices))
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Toppings
- baby spinach
- fresh tomato, sliced
- alfalfa sprouts
- vegan pretzel buns
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut peppers in half, and remove the seeds. On separate cookie sheets, spread out walnuts and red peppers, face down. Roast walnuts for 3 minutes until fragrant and red peppers for 15 minutes until slightly charred on top. Allow to cool.
- Add roasted peppers, walnuts, and all of muhammara ingredients to food processor, and blend until well combined, and dip forms. Set aside.
- In a preheated large grill skillet, add olive oil, and eggplant slices. Sprinkle black pepper on both sides of eggplant. Grill eggplant “steaks” for 2 minutes on each side, until both sides are slightly brown.
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To assemble burger, spread about 1 tbsp of muhammara dip onto one eggplant slice, and add a second eggplant slice on top. Top with baby spinach, tomato slices, and alfalfa sprouts, and sandwich between burger buns. Dig in!
