Wild Rice Veggie Sliders with Herbed Ricotta Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Author Notes

Can I just say, I am so glad the days of rubbery and bland veggie burgers are over and that they are finally getting the reputation they deserve as delicious and substantial! It always confuses me when I order a “veggie” burger, and there is not one vegetable in it. Don’t worry; that is not what you’ll find here, as there is a huge helping of chopped onion, celery, and carrots packed into these patties. These little sliders are so flavorful that they don’t even need a topping (though the herbed ricotta is a delicious touch). The burgers themselves are vegan, so omit the ricotta or replace it with herbed cashew cream if you want to keep the whole meal dairy-free.
I used Minnesota wild rice in this recipe as an ode to the wonderfully chilly state but also because of wild rice’s nutty flavor and nutritional benefits (it has even more fiber than brown rice). For the binding agent, I forgo an egg for a sweet and savory paste made from dates and tahini, which complements the rice perfectly.
I prefer to make sliders since a smaller patty tends to hold its shape better, but you can also form full-size patties if you’re cooking them on the stove top. To cook the burgers on the stove, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil per burger in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Cook, covered, for 4 minutes on each side or until browned and warmed all the way through. —Shelly Westerhausen

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• Herbed Ricotta
• 8 ounceswhole-milk ricotta
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 tablespoonchopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
• 1 teaspoondried basil or dried oregano
  
• ¹/₂ teaspoondried dill
  
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

• Veggie Burgers
• ²/₃ cupwild rice, rinsed
  
• 4 cupsvegetable stock, plus 1/4 cup
  
• 1 tablespoonolive oil
  
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
  
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
  
• 3 carrots, peeled and finely diced
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 2 sprigsdill, chopped
  
• ¹/₃ cuptahini
  
• 2 Medjool dates, pitted
  
• 1 teaspoondried oregano
  
• ¹/₂ teaspooncayenne pepper
  
• ¹/₂ tablespoonyellow mustard
  
• ¹/₃ cupbreadcrumbs
  
• 16 slider buns, split