Sneak a little healthy vegetable in with this tasty eggplant burger recipe. Your family may not even notice that there’s an added veggie inside.
Now that the weather is getting warmer here in Connecticut, my husband and I are starting to plan out our garden. I’m going for fewer tomatoes this year and adding in other vegetables.
Eggplants are definitely on the list. We had an Asian variety last year that kept giving. So, I want to try and find a similar plant to grow this year.
Getting ready for the summer garden got me thinking about how I’ll be using our home grown produce. So, today I’m going to show you how to make an eggplant burger. The method is based on a family recipe from one of my Filipino friends.
There are some burgers made with eggplant that are meatless. However, this one is not. It’s more of a way to stretch out meat with a healthy vegetable filler.
For this recipe, you’ll need to either roast or grill the eggplant. In the original recipe, the eggplants are grilled. But, it’s been so cold here, I roasted them in the oven.
Mixing the hamburger meat with eggplant allows you to get twice as many burgers as you would with only the meat. That’s why this eggplant burger recipe is also a way to stretch out your meat and save money.
We all know that meat can be one of the most expensive ingredients on a low carb diet. That’s why you’ll want to use it wisely if you don’t have the money for it in your budget.
And, if you grow your own vegetables in your yard, you’ll save money there too. Starting plants from seed is the cheapest way to go, but it’s not that expensive to buy young plants from a nursery or your local discount store.
We didn’t have the time to get our seeds started indoors this year. So we’ll be buying nursery plants at the end of May which is when we typically start planting our garden. The threat of frost is usually gone by then.
To get each eggplant burger to be perfectly round, I used a pancake rings. The rings are also needed to keep the mixture together in the beginning of cooking. Although you can probably make these without the rings, I don’t recommend it.
I like to serve these burgers the Filipino way which is to dip them in a lime and soy sauce dip. If you don’t do soy, you can replace it with coconut aminos or just simply drizzle lime over the patties.
In the Philippines, the limes used are the tropical
I’m hoping we get plenty of eggplant over the summer so I can make this tasty eggplant burger recipe when the weather is warmer. They are so delicious and the lime dipping sauce or drizzle really enhances the flavor.
Be sure to save this recipe in a convenient spot so you’ll have it readily available when the eggplants are ripening in the garden. The burgers also make a fantastic summer meal.
For more delicious ways to use eggplant, be sure to check out the low carb eggplant recipes collection I’ve put together. You’ll get plenty of ideas for using up your garden crop.
Eggplant Burger Patties Recipe
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Eggplant Burger Patties – Filipino Style
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon sage
- salt & ground Black Pepper to taste
- olive oil for sautéing beef
Egg Mixture
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ⅛ teaspoon sage
- ⅛ teaspoon oregano
- cayenne powder optional
Eggplant Mixture
- 1 pound eggplant
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ Tsp garlic powder
- salt & ground black pepper to taste
Dipping Sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 limes calamansi/calamondin preferred
Instructions
- Slice eggplant in two parts and open in half. Season with salt and let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Opt to wash before roasting.
- In a hot skillet with olive oil, sauté onions and garlic. Add ground beef and slightly season with salt, ground pepper and sage. Brown meat without burning. Drain and transfer meat to a platter and set aside.
- Transfer eggplant to a non-stick baking tray. Season ground black pepper. Opt to drizzle some olive oil before roasting.
- In a pre-heated 350°F oven, roast eggplant slices for 12 to 15 minutes until soft. Allow to cool. Discard skin. Cut in small pieces or slivers. Season well with onion powder and garlic powder. Mix well.
- In a bowl, beat eggs. Season with sage, oregano, and salt. Opt to add cayenne for a little heat.
- Combine eggplant mixture to cooked ground beef. Add egg mixture. Mix well.
- In the same skillet, heat oil and drop egg rings. Pour two to three tablespoons of eggplant and beef mixture to fill the egg rings and flatten with the back of a spoon. Cover skillet. Allow for eggplant burger patties to form for about 2 minutes.
- Slowly remove egg rings and flip the patties, the way you flip an ordinary burger or pancake. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Allow for excess oil to drip and transfer to a serving platter. Do this to the remaining patties.
- Combine soy sauce and lime as dipping sauce. In the absence of soy sauce or coconut aminos, just drizzle lime over the patties and enjoy every bite!
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
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Jennifer
I’m so confused about the egg ring part? What is an egg ring? Is it a tool? Or did I miss a step? Tia!
Lisa MarcAurele
It’s sometimes called a pancake ring. It’s a little circle mold for cooking things in a perfect circle.
Ken
Had these for supper last night. So good that I brought the leftovers for lunch today.
Roge
Can I pan-grill the eggplant instead of roasting of charcoal-grilling it?
Lisa
It should work too.
Rebecca Campbell
this got me thinking about turning it into a meatloaf. do you have any experience with that?
Lisa
I’ve never done a meatloaf, but eggplant is a pretty good sub from bread so I’m thinking it should work out.
janet
This sounds like a great recipe. We love eggplant! My hubby can’t eat red meat but I think I will try it with ground turkey.
We also grow a small garden, since we have limited space we opt for things you either can’t find in stores or are very expensive, so we grow mostly specialty lettuces and heirloom peppers. Saves us loads of money.
Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa
I think this one would be good with ground poultry as well. 🙂