Eggplant Burgers Simmered in a Tomato, Mushroom, and Wine Sauce
I believe strongly in leftovers. Oh, you can disagree with me, but I AM RIGHT. True, food is best straight from the stove (or better yet, straight from your garden) but when something is good, it’s more than nice to eat it twice. It may be out slightly of fashion to brown bag lunch it, but I’ve never been afraid of looking like a dork. I still carry my Alvin and Chipmunks lunchbox and even enjoy bookkeeping. Really, all those numbers checking and balancing - how glorious! Just kidding about the lunchbox, though — I lost that one back in grade school and believe me, if there’s one thing you want to ignore at the school’s Lost and Found it’s a plastic lunchbox with weeks-old food still inside.
Back to leftovers:
For those of you who had New Years Resolutions to
1) save money and/or 2) loose weight/eat healthier/feel better, leftovers is the way to do it. Buy fresh ingredients. Make your own food. At home. Make more than you can eat in one sitting. Bring it to work. It’s going to be healthier and cost much less than what you get around the office. And for those minute-pinchers out there, leftovers give you the added bonus of less time spent running out to grab something and more time to enjoy eating and doing your bookkeeping.
ps: these burgers are also great on a bun with the usual fixins
pps: there are so many good veggies in this I’m contributing it to Sweetnicks’ ARF/5-A-Day
Serves: 4 - 5
Time: 45 minutes
Eggplant Burgers Simmered in a Tomato, Mushroom, and Wine Sauce
Eggplant Burgers
1 medium eggplant
2 carrots
2/3 cup oatmeal
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying
Peel the eggplant and carrots. Cut the eggplant into 1″ cubes and chop the carrots. Boil the vegetables in salted water (or steam) until tender, about 10 minutes.
When the veggies are done, drain them and press out any extra water. Put in a mixing bowl and crush with an immersion blender. You could also use food processor but you don’t want to completely puree the veggies, just rough them up a little bit.
To the veggies add the oatmeal, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, oregano, parmesan (optional) and salt and pepper to taste.
Shape the mixture into burgers (or “meatballs” if you’d like) and dust with more breadcrumbs. The Li’l Sis recommends the meatball or flat burgers shape so they become proportionately more crisp outside to juicy inside.
Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and brown the burgers for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.
Tomato, Mushroom and Wine Sauce
olive oil for sautéing
2 cups of baby portobello mushrooms, or your favorite kind of mushrooms, destemed and sliced
1/4 cup red wine
2 (8 oz) cans of tomato sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup minced parsley
salt and pepper
While the burgers are cooking you can start the sauce: sauté the sliced mushrooms in the olive oil for a few minutes until soft.
Add the wine a cook for a few more minutes to reduce and then add the tomato sauce, oregano and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Gently add the cooked burgers and simmer in the sauce for a few minutes until reheated.
Putting it Together
1 lb egg noodles (or your favorite broad noodle)
minced parsley
more parmesan (optional)
Cook the noodles.
Assemble a pile a of noodles. Top with a burgers and ladle over some extra sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and grated parmesan if you’d like.
Makes excellent leftovers.
January 9th, 2007 20:20
Leftovers are my life! I brown bag it at LEAST three times a week
Besides, I am Jewish, and it is virtually impossible for me to cook for 1.
Now that the BF is moving in though, he keeps eating my leftovers! I am sure in a few monnths time though, there will reliably be enough for at least 2 lunches per dinner I make
January 10th, 2007 22:42
Those look really good. I am going to make them this weekend—or maybe you can make some for us. it’s totally cool,we won’t mind, just bring ‘em over for a pot luck.
January 11th, 2007 14:44
Hey Nex0s - I know what you mean. Why cook for 1 when most dishes work better for 4 or 10? Your BF is a lucky man, try not to spoil him *too* much!
Queenie - happy too. tell Av to scoot over and leave some room for me on that couch. and when are you giving me those drapes to make pantaloons?
January 12th, 2007 18:40
Vanessa, thanks for the heads up re glutenfreegoddess, looks like an interesting site so I’ve added it to my . . . RSS feed. I love her t-shirts too.
And I love that this recipe is an adaption of an adaption of an adaption. My mum and I make a recipe called Greek Chicken. Despite the name, the chicken has long since gone from the recipe and while our individual versions are gradually going off in very different directions.
Barring all last minute decisions to eat out, we’re going to have your eggplant burgers tonight - YUM.
January 14th, 2007 20:23
Vanessa, this recipe is fab, or should I say, this recipe is FAB!!!. We made it over the weekend and the only thing I changed was using fetta instead of parmesan (I just couldn’t get any vegetarian parmesan). Otherwise I made it exactly as per your recipe (which is quite possibly a world record for me).
I’m shamefaced to admit I doubted your recipe and was so close to adding an egg, to bind it together. But no, I stood firm, followed your instructions and the burgers were little beauties. Sorry!
In fact, it’s so good I’m making it again for dinner tomorrow, when my parents are here.
January 16th, 2007 15:14
Thank you Kathryn! I’m so glad you got to enjoy. Hope your parents did as well!
I’m always wary too when making burgers or a breaded dish without eggs so I don’t take any offence at all.
One trick I’ve learned is that a smashed banana makes things stick pretty well - but there are definitely times (and this is one of them) when a banana flavor just isn’t what you’re looking for
I’m thinking that it’s the combination of moisture-hungry eggplant and expanding oatmeal that makes this burger work.
January 19th, 2007 11:48
Just made a batch of eggplant burgers and they were delicious! Thanks for sending out a recipe for one of my favorite and underserved friends…the eggplant.
January 21st, 2007 10:21
Vanessa,
I found this recipe searching on eggplant, mushrooms and tomato. I made it last night and it was great! My boyfriend said it was one of the best recipes I’ve ever made - thanks a lot.
June 14th, 2007 05:08
This one makes sence “One’s first step in wisdom is to kuesstion everything - and one’s last is to come to terms with everything.”
February 11th, 2008 00:27
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