Consumer Reports Vegetarian Burger

This is classic grain-and-bean vegetarian burger territory, originally published in Consumer Reports’ cooking coverage. Cooked pearl barley, cooked chickpeas, and rolled oatmeal form the structural base. Celery, onion, scallion, and garlic blitz together in a blender, then fold into the grain mixture for seasoning and moisture.

Soy sauce and paprika do the flavor work. The soy sauce provides umami and salt in one; the paprika adds warmth and a reddish tint that makes the patties look more burger-like. Form into patties for burgers, elongated shapes for “sausages," or little balls for “meatballs” that go into pasta.

What you have on your hands is a shape-flexible, freezer-friendly veggie protein base that costs pennies to make and genuinely tastes better than a lot of frozen supermarket versions. A short pan-fry in a little butter or margarine crisps the outside while keeping the grain interior soft.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the barley ahead and let it cool completely before mixing. Warm barley turns the mixture gummy.
• Mash some (not all) of the chickpeas with a fork before mixing. Fully intact chickpeas won’t bind; fully mashed loses texture.
• Finely chop the vegetables in the blender but don’t puree them. You want pieces small enough to disperse, not a wet slurry.
• Chill the formed patties for 15 to 30 minutes before frying. Cold patties hold their shape in the pan; warm ones fall apart.
• Cook over medium heat, not high. The patties are already cooked through internally; you just want to brown the outside without burning.

Variations

• Swap soy sauce for tamari to make the whole recipe gluten-free, paired with certified gluten-free oats.
• Stir in ½ teaspoon curry powder, cumin, or smoked paprika for a different flavor lean.
• Use lentils or black beans in place of chickpeas for a different bean character.