Southwestern Pumpkin Burgers

I'm normally used to pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, and pumpkin bread-all sweet treats. Eating pumpkin in a savory dish is still on the new side for me, but this recipe called out to me. The first time I ever tried them, I pan grilled them, and they turned out well, but there was a problem getting them to stay together. The second time (last night) I decided to try the George Foreman grill I had, since I had read in some comments that it worked much better. Of course these people were right, since the burgers got a nice crust from the grill, and they did stay together (for the most part) quite well.



The weird thing about these burgers is that the binder is really all pumpkin. There is no egg in it, there's no meat, and it's got a ton of sauteed vegetables in it as well as some great spices, including chili powder. This is the kind of burger I wouldn't mind having if there was no meat alternative. In fact, I wouldn't mind having this burger even with a meat alternative. It was really different, but really good. The recipe calls for it to be put in a whole wheat wrap, but I prefer them all on their own with a bit of salsa on top. It was outstanding. It's a great mixup from the standard veggie burger or black bean burger.



These really don't take a whole lot of time to prepare and I'm sure you could add different things in to your heart's content. Have fun with it!

Southwestern Pumpkin Burgers (recipe from www.eatingwell.com)

* 6 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided (Or you could do what I did, which was to use a bit of butter spray for the veggies and then a little bit more for the George Foreman grill)
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1/2 c finely chopped red or green bell pepper
* 1/2 c fresh or frozen corn
* 2 cloves minced garlic
* 2 tsp chili powder
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 c canned unseasoned pumpkin puree
* 1/2 c shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese (I opted for the Jack this time, but have used Cheddar before)
* 1/2 c toasted wheat germ
* 1/2 c fine dry breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat breadcrumbs)
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
* 1/2 tsp salt
* Black pepper, to taste
* 6 8-inch flour tortillas, (soft-taco size) (optional-I didn't use one)
* 2 cups shredded lettuce (optional-I eat them plain)


1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat (Or spray the pan with butter spray). Add onion and cook until soft, making sure to stir often. Add in bell pepper, corn, garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook more, stirring for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
3. Add pumpkin, cheese, wheat germ, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper to the onion mixture; mix well. With dampened hands, form the vegetable mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties (I made it to ten patties-I'd say you can make them any size you want).
4. Preheat oven to 325°F. Stack tortillas and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes to heat through. (Alternatively, stack tortillas between two damp paper towels; microwave on high for 30 to 60 seconds, or until heated through.) (Only use this step if you are using tortillas with your burgers!)
5. Using 2 teaspoons oil per batch (omit if you are using the spray), cook 2 to 4 patties at a time in a large pan over medium heat until browned and heated through, about 4 minutes per side (or just use the George Foreman and go by the little light on top). Adjust heat as necessary for even browning. Wrap the patties in tortillas and serve immediately, garnished with lettuce and tomato salsa, if you want it.