Spanish Paella Burger with Chickpeas and Spinach

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2 min read
Summary

Travel to Spain in the comfort of your own home by making these tasty Spanish Paella Burgers with Chickpea and Spinach. It is believed that the Spanish dish, paella, originated in Valencia, Spain. It’s typically made with short grain rice, meat or seafood, vegetables and saffron. We’ve created a paella-inspired veggie burger made with short-grain brown rice, chickpeas, spinach, and two signature spices used in Spanish cuisine—saffron and paprika.

Yields8 ServingsPrep Time15 minsCook Time40 minsTotal Time55 mins

Ingredients

 1 cup yellow onion or white (chopped)
 1 cup green bell pepper (chopped)
 1 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
 5 large garlic cloves (minced)
 2 jalapeños, deseeded and minced (optional)
 1 ½ tbsp spanish paprika
 2 tbsp ground cumin
 2 tsp dried oregano
 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
 1 ½ tsp onion granules
  tsp saffron thread (crumbled)
 3 tbsp organic tomato paste
 1 ½ cups chickpeas (home cooked or BPA-free canned)
 2 cups organic short-grain brown rice (cooked)
 1 cup vegetable broth (unsalted, preferably homemade)
 2 cups organic spinach (chopped)
 1 cup organic oat flour or almond flour
 ¼ tsp salt (optional) +1/4 tsp as needed
 ¼ tsp ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2

Heat a large stovetop pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions, turn the heat down to medium and continuously cook until the onions are translucent, about 2–3 minutes.

3

Add the garlic and jalapeños (if using). Cook for 30–60 seconds.

4

Stir in the spices and tomato paste. Mix well.

5

Add the chickpeas, rice, and vegetable broth and cook on medium until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6

Fold in the spinach until wilted.

7

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Mash the mixture with a potato masher or fork until ¾ of the chickpeas are mashed.

8

Stir in the oat flour. If the mixture feels too wet to form patties, add 1–2 tablespoons of oat flour at a time until the mixture is a moist dough-like consistency.

9

With clean hands, scoop out a handful of the mixture and press into 4” round patties. You should get about 8 total patties.

10

Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Chef's Notes

Substitutions
In place of yellow onion, use white or purple onion, or shallots.

In place of green or red pepper, use orange or yellow peppers.

Instead of rice, you could use cooked quinoa or millet.

Substitute almond flour for oat flour.

Use organic kale or other leafy green of choice in place of the spinach.

Flour-free
Instead of oat flour, use ground cashews or walnuts.

Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 30 days with parchment paper placed in between each burger for easy separation.

Ingredients

 1 cup yellow onion or white (chopped)
 1 cup green bell pepper (chopped)
 1 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
 5 large garlic cloves (minced)
 2 jalapeños, deseeded and minced (optional)
 1 ½ tbsp spanish paprika
 2 tbsp ground cumin
 2 tsp dried oregano
 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
 1 ½ tsp onion granules
  tsp saffron thread (crumbled)
 3 tbsp organic tomato paste
 1 ½ cups chickpeas (home cooked or BPA-free canned)
 2 cups organic short-grain brown rice (cooked)
 1 cup vegetable broth (unsalted, preferably homemade)
 2 cups organic spinach (chopped)
 1 cup organic oat flour or almond flour
 ¼ tsp salt (optional) +1/4 tsp as needed
 ¼ tsp ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2

Heat a large stovetop pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions, turn the heat down to medium and continuously cook until the onions are translucent, about 2–3 minutes.

3

Add the garlic and jalapeños (if using). Cook for 30–60 seconds.

4

Stir in the spices and tomato paste. Mix well.

5

Add the chickpeas, rice, and vegetable broth and cook on medium until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6

Fold in the spinach until wilted.

7

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Mash the mixture with a potato masher or fork until ¾ of the chickpeas are mashed.

8

Stir in the oat flour. If the mixture feels too wet to form patties, add 1–2 tablespoons of oat flour at a time until the mixture is a moist dough-like consistency.

9

With clean hands, scoop out a handful of the mixture and press into 4” round patties. You should get about 8 total patties.

10

Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Spanish Paella Burger with Chickpeas and Spinach