Chickpea Burgers and Ratatouille

Last night I made dinner for Brad and it was delicious; therefore I wanted to share the menu. I made ratatouille, which I used to make in San Francisco all the time, but had not done it a while. Plus all the veggies needed for the recipe were on sale (bonus) and it is one of Brad’s favorites. The chickpea burger recipe is from a shape magazine I picked up at the airport in Chicago, but would have never done so if it was not for Kristina, one of my closest friends. When we were hanging out in San Francisco over the holiday break, I picked up her copy and started to thumb through it. Then Kristina said, “oh there is a recipe in that magazine that looks really good.” And there it was, Chickpea Burgers with a ricotta sauce.

They are super easy to make and delicious. A little on the spicy side, but the sauce helps to cut it. However, I did not make their suggested ricotta sauce as we already had tzatziki dip in our refrigerator. I placed them on whole wheat buns and garnished with tomatoes, spinach and red onion slices. It was a wonderful dinner. In case anyone is interested, here is the complete recipe:

Burgers:
2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Cooking Spray

Ricotta Sauce:
½ cup part-skim ricotta
2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt

Preheat broiler to high. In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, parsley, garlic, and spices; season with pepper. Partially mash the chickpea mixture; stir in egg and 2 tablespoons panko and shape into four patties.

Spread remaining panko and on a plate and dredge patties in it. Place patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 8 to 10 inches from heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Puree ricotta and yogurt in a blender or food processor. Serve burgers on buns with onions, tomato, spinach and ricotta sauce.

I promise this recipe is super easy and could even be done after a long day of work.

Happy Cooking!