Burgers on Mother’s Day? Maybe that wasn’t your first thought, but we promise this cannellini bean burger will change your mind. It's a healthy, delicious, veggie-friendly meal option that kids will actually eat and that parents can fancy up according to their tastes. Even if you find yourself dining at an elegant restaurant for Mother's Day, keep this recipe on hand for another day: husbands, partners, even kids can get in on the bean burger-making fun. Read on for a vegan recipe that's great for Mother's Day or any day.


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1.Gather the ingredients

For the bean burgers:

  • 2 cans organic cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/8 cup water
  • ½ cup bread crumbs
  • ½ cup vital wheat gluten
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • Zest from ½ lemon
  • 1 ½ tsp dried basil
  • 1 -1 ½ tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • ¼ cup sundried tomatoes (we used the kind that is packed in oil with herbs)

For the toppings:

  • 1/2 onion
  • 5-6 mushrooms
  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar
  • Marinara sauce

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2. Do the prep work.

This recipe comes together quickly once the prep work is done beforehand. So zest the 1/2 lemon, mince the garlic cloves, and finely chop the sundried tomatoes beforehand. You can also thinly slice the onion and mushrooms for the toppings at this time if you will be finishing the recipe in one sitting.

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3. Mash the beans.

Place the beans and olive oil in a food processor and pulse a few times until well-blended. You don’t want the beans to be completely smooth; just pulse until the complete, whole beans are gone. Add the remaining burger ingredients (except for the sundried tomatoes) and knead for a minute or two to activate the vital wheat gluten. This is a fun, messy job that kids love to take part in. Fold in the sundried tomatoes.

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4. Form the burgers and cook.

This recipe makes 6 regular-sized burgers, so divide the dough accordingly and then press into round patties.

At this point you can cook the burgers in a nonstick pan over medium heat with a little olive oil for about 8-10 min on each side. During the cooking process, press down on the burgers once or twice with a wide spatula. Add another few drops of oil on the burger before flipping over so that it browns evenly. If you would prefer to bake the burgers, you can also do so for 20 minutes on each side at 375 degrees. Again, I recommend adding a few drops of olive oil to each side. Finally, you can also refrigerate the patties for a few hours before baking or frying. You may need to increase the cooking time by a minute or two in this case.

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5. Make the accompaniments.

Since this is an Italian-inspired burger, we chose to make caramelized onions and balsamic-sauteed cremini mushrooms. To make caramelized onions, we thinly sliced 1/2 of a yellow onion and sauteed it in a small saucepan over medium heat with a little olive oil for about 10-15 minutes (stirring occasionally and lowering the heat when necessary to keep the onions from burning). For the mushrooms, we added just a few drops of olive oil to a saucepan over medium heat then added thinly sliced mushrooms. We sauteed them for 8-10 minutes, adding in about 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar about halfway through the process. Other yummy ideas-sauteed spinach, roasted red peppers, or more chopped sundried tomatoes.

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6. Finish the burgers.

Place burger on a bun (we made foccaccia and cut it into rounds), top with accompaniments, and top with marinara sauce, if desired. Serve warm alongside a big salad, and have a happy Mother’s Day.