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It’s burger season!!

Roasted Zucchini Burgers with Garlic Whipped Feta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Do these roasted zucchini burgers excite you guys as much as they excite me? For some reason burgers seem so summery to me. Roasted zucchini, garlic, quinoa and whipped feta. It’s a winning combo that definitely gives the beef burger a run for its money…well, I mean, if you’re open to veggie burgers of course! 🙂

Roasted Zucchini Burgers with Garlic Whipped Feta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

With the 4th of July quickly creeping up on us, I figured it was time we start talking cookout eats. I still cannot believe the 4th is only a little over two weeks away, but it is, so we need to get chatting about it!

We’ll start off with these burgers and move our way through one epic menu. I’m pretty excited about it.

Alright, I can’t lie, these burgers are a little more work than your typical beef burger, but the flavors are unbeatable. Good news is that if you’re looking to prep your meal ahead of time these patties can be made and kept in the fridge for a day or two and then cooked up just before serving. That’s always an added bonus, right?!

Here’s how these go, you’ll need to start off by roasting your zucchini, summer squash and garlic. Sorry, but the roasting step is mandatory and is what adds all the flavor to these burgers. If you have yet to experience roasted zucchini (wait, who has not had roasted zucchini?!?), THIS is the summer to do so. I know you may hate turning on your oven, but promise, it’s worth it. Roasting the zucchini brings out the sweetness and the charred edges add a really nice texture.

Anyway, so you roast your zucchini and then mix it with some quinoa. DONE. See, not so bad, but you HAVE to roast the zucchini. And, you also HAVE to chill the patties before cooking them or they will be too soft and will not hold their shape. Other than that, they’re pretty easy to throw together, just kind of time-consuming do to the roasting and the chilling. Like I said, so worth it though, and you can do everything in advance. Cool!

OKok, so that’s the patties, they’re delicious and healthy and quite possibly my new go-to veggie burger for the summer. But now… can we please just talk about the cheese?!?!

WHIPPED FETA.

Yes. It’s so good. Think about feta, but then think about it in a more creamy, spreadable way and think about it seasoned with a little fresh dill and roasted garlic. I know, I know, TOO GOOD! And when paired with a zucchini burger?

Very Mediterranean, right? My favorite!

Roasted Zucchini Burgers with Garlic Whipped Feta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

For once I kept my toppings really simple, but… these would be great with a fried egg. Just sayin.

Actually, you should totally do the fried egg. Everything is better with an egg. <–truth.

Oh and um, speaking of eggs? You guys all know how we have chickens, right? Well for those of you who don’t… we do. And tomorrow we are adding a rooster to the bunch. Did you guys also know that the chickens literally live right outside my kitchen window and right underneath my bedroom window?

They do.

Ahh huh, are you seeing where I am going with this? Looks like I will be getting the daily five am wake up call. YIKES. Dad and I just spent the last five minutes listening to roosters crow…double YIKES.

Guess I will not need that alarm anymore, huh?

Oh well, a rooster means more chickens, which means more eggs, which means more fried eggs for my burgers. Yep, I can deal with that. 🙂

Roasted Zucchini Burgers with Garlic Whipped Feta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Roasted Zucchini Burgers with Garlic Whipped Feta.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Refrigerate 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 10 Burgers
Calories Per Serving: 455 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium zucchini cut into 2 inch chunks
  • 3 medium yellow summer squash cut into 2 inch chunks
  • 4 cloves garlic left whole (1 clove for the burger and 3 for the whipped feta)
  • olive oil for drizzling
  • kosher salt + pepper
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to your taste
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil
  • 4 hamburger buns toasted
  • lettuce tomatoes and or sliced avocado, for serving

Whipped Feta

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  • On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss together the zucchini, summer squash and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, salt + pepper and toss well to coat. Place in the oven and roast for 45-50 minutes or until the squash is softened and golden all over, making sure most of the moisture has been cooked out of the squash. Turn the squash around halfway throughout cooking.
  • Remove from the oven and allow the squash to cool. Remove all but 1 clove of garlic from the pan, reserving the 3 remaining cloves for the whipped feta. Add the roasted squash + one of the garlic cloves to a food processor along with the paprika, cayenne, quinoa, panko and basil. Pulse to combine. 
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment. Pat the zucchini mixture into 10-12 even size patties. The mixture will be sticky, but do your best to form the patties. Once all the patties have been formed, place them in the fridge to chill, at least one hour or up to 1 day.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Once hot, add 2-3 patties at a time and cook until lightly browned, about 5-8 minutes, flip and cook another 5-8 minutes or until firm. Repeat wit the remaining patties. Note: these burgers are delicate, be careful when flipping.
  • To serve, spread the bottom of each warmed bun with whipped feta (see recipe below). Top with a zucchini burger, sliced avocado, tomato and other toppings. Add your top bun. EAT!

Whipped Feta

  • In a food processor, combine the feta, greek yogurt, olive oil and the reserved 3 cloves of roasted garlic from above. Puree until completely smooth and creamy, scrapping down the sides if needed, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, dill and lemon zest. Pulse to combine. If needed, thin with milk. Serve with the burgers.

Notes

*Adapted from Food and Wine June 2016 issue. *If you are having trouble frying these I recommend one, either forming them into small, slider size patties for easier flipping OR two, baking then in a 400 degrees oven for 35-45 minutes or until firm and crisp, flipping them halfway through cooking. Allow the patties to sit 5-10 minutes before assembling the burgers.
View Recipe Comments

Roasted Zucchini Burgers with Garlic Whipped Feta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I think… if not, I will drown my tiredness in a big bowl of whipped feta. All the cheese (and fried eggs) please.

Roasted Zucchini Burgers with Garlic Whipped Feta | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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Comments

  1. 3 stars
    Creative recipe and flavors were tasty, however , almost 3 hours to make a burger not my preference. I did also make mine smaller like falafel. Whipped feta was delicious! I will stick to making zucchini fritters which take much less time

  2. 5 stars
    These were great!! My husband and mom loved them. He said the consistency is more like a crab cake but the flavor of the “burger” is delicious!! I had it over salad and the whipped feta was so good too. I chilled them for an hour and had no problem flipping on the stove. I halved the recipe and made 5 (and a halfie). Would definitely make again!

    1. Hey Allie,
      Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan

  3. Apologies. Ignore my previous message, you stated the quinoa had to be cooked in the ‘Ingredients’ section (argh).

    Keep up the good work!

  4. Hey, I love this recipe!

    I have one question, which may sound silly but do you need to boil the quinoa before you add it to the food processor with the other ingredients?

    Many thanks 🙂

    1. Hi Fabio! The quinoa should be cooked. Is that what you’re asking? Please let me know! xTieghan

    2. Hi, I love this recipe. So do all my mates that I’ve made them for. Just a QQ but is it possible to freeze theses burgers. Wasn’t sure whether they would become to wet once they thawed out? Thanks Kel

      1. Hey Kelly,
        Happy Sunday! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! To be honest, I have never frozen these but you could certainly give it a try! xTieghan

  5. 5 stars
    Husband Approved! Guest Approved! I made these burgers the other night and was pleasantly surprised at how easy and fast they came together for being a veggie burger. The consistency of the “raw” mixture also felt a lot like hamburger meat. But the true test was the taste, and they were delicious! We didn’t try the whipped feta this time but used goat cheese instead. Definitely will repeat this recipe!

  6. Do you have an approximation on how many cups or a weight for the zucchini and squash. The ones from my garden vary hugely in size and makes it difficult to say what a “medium” zucchini is. Thank you

    1. Hey Mike! I don’t have the weight, but it’s about 5-6 cups of chopped squash. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe and happy 4th of July! Thank you! xTieghan

    1. Hi Sarah! I don’t recommend grilling these burgers as they are a little delicate and best when pan seared. You can precook the burgers in a skillet and then warm them on the grill before serving. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

  7. 5 stars
    I just made this last night and it was delicious! Especially the whipped feta!! I was wondering though – how long do you think the whipped feta will last in the fridge for? I made extra so was hoping to use it on sandwiches and as a veggie dip over the next several days 🙂

    1. HI! The feta will last at least a week in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?

  8. 5 stars
    I made these veggie burgers for my vegan boyfriend and I last night. I halved the recipe, but didn’t measure the ingredients too carefully, and it turned out really delicious. It seems like these burgers turn out well even if you’re not super careful with the recipe like I was. My boyfriend practically inhaled these and asked me to make them again. The prep work does take planning, but I didn’t find that it was all too time consuming as long as you plan ahead. I made the feta spread for myself and thought it paired perfectly with the zucchini patty. I think I maybe put a bit too much lemon zest in because I didn’t get much from the garlic or dill but luckily it was delicious. This is definitely a “hell yes, make it again!” recipe.

  9. 5 stars
    I made these today and they were AMAZING.
    Had an easy time flipping too. I used 1 less Zucchini though…that might have had something to do with it. I also left the veggies in the oven after I turned it off to let them dry out further. Then I squeezed some liquid out of them (once they cooled) in paper towels. This made the patties easy to form and easy to flip.

    Other things I did:
    – Chilli instead of Cayenne powder (the heat in chili powder is easier for me to handle)
    – 1 extra garlic clove in the burger
    – a sprinkle of italian seasoning in the burger for extra herbi-ness
    – cooked the Quinoa in vegetable stock

    My husband had a second burger it was so good. I will definitely make these again

  10. Hey! Going to make these tonight, excited! How many zucchini and squash does the recipe use? For some reason I’m confused about whether it’s 3 of each or 1 of each? Thanks!

  11. The burgers were great. Unfortunately haven’t made the whipped feta yet, i know it would have made them soo much better. But, still delicious. I used a blender (vitamix) and it..failed, haha. But a lil elbow grease and it blended well. The patties didnt fall a part at all either. Kindu blew my mind. I used an assortment of squash from the garden. So thank you so much for these recipes. Always looking for ways to use up summer produce 😀

    1. Haha I’m always a bit blown away that they hold together honestly! But they always do!
      So happy you liked them and maybe the whipped feta is for next time!! Thanks Jenna!

  12. quick question . I’m making these tomorrow was wondering if i could use regular yogurt instead of the greek? or would that be too runny? just making sure so i don’t buy more yogurt lol. thanks!!

    1. Hey Cindy, I think regular yogurt would be a bit too runny. I am sure it would taste fine, but just be runny. Hope you love the burgers! 🙂