Eggplant Burgers with Quinoa and White Beans

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Slice the eggplant into ⅓-inch slices. Place the slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, salt the tops and set aside for 30 minutes. Using a paper towel, blot out the moisture. Shake off excess salt.

Brush the eggplant with the olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping midway though. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. (I’d suggest turning the oven off, even though you’ll later reset it to this temperature.)

In a food processor, grind the oats and quinoa into a flour. The quinoa won’t grind as well as the oats, but that’s OK! Pour it into a medium-sized bowl with the whole wheat flour. Set aside.

Roughly cut the cooled eggplant into smaller pieces. Using the food processor again, pulse the eggplant pieces, garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper into a paste. Scrape down the sides as necessary. Pour into a large bowl.

Using the food processor again, pulse the almonds a couple times just so they’re roughly chopped. Add the white beans and fire-roasted tomatoes. Pulse to a paste, again scraping down the sides as necessary. Pour into the bowl with the eggplant.

Mix the eggplant mixture and bean mixtures to combine. Mix in the flour mixture until everything is combined. Refrigerate the mixture for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Reheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a large rimmed baking sheet. Using a ¼-cup scoop, form the eggplant mixture into patties and set them on the baking sheet. Repeat until you use all of the dough. You might want to wet you hands because the batter will be sticky.

Bake the patties for 25-30 minutes, flipping midway through. They will be done when a delicious crust is formed on both sides and the patties are slightly firm to the touch.