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