Fast and Easy Vegan Burger Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon very finely chopped garlic
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 large portobello mushrooms, 31/2 to 4 inches in diameter
1 pound fat zucchini (about 2 inches in diameter), preferably both yellow and green ones, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1 pound plum tomatoes, thickly sliced
2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1 1/2-inch-wide strips
1 large (about 1 pound) purple eggplant cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (about 8 slices)
4 large handfuls arugula
About 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
About 1/3 cup Pesto (Store bought or homemade)

Directions

1. Build a medium-hot fire in a barbecue. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 cup of olive oil, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Scrape the gills from the portobellos and arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant to the baking sheet. Brush all the vegetables with the herbed oil.
3. Brush the grill rack with olive oil, transfer the vegetables to the grill, and cook, turning as needed and being careful not to let the olive oil flame up, until tender. The zucchini and tomatoes will be done first, needing just 2 to 3 minutes per side. The peppers will be done next. If you have been careful to just brown them, they will not need to be peeled. The mushrooms and fresh eggplant will need about 5 minutes per side.
4. In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with some of the remaining herbed olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
5. To build the burgers, generously spread the gill side of 4 mushrooms with pesto. Top with yellow zucchini, several tomato slices, green zucchini, eggplant slices, and several strips of bell pepper. Drizzle another small spoonful of pesto over all and close with another mushroom. Arrange some of the arugula salad on the side and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

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