Dice and mince your veggies and garlic. Sauté celery, onion, and red pepper in 3 TBSP of oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste.
Once the veggies are tender, add garlic sauté until fragrant, approx. 30 seconds.
Transfer to a large bowl and add the beans, quinoa, spices, and half the oats. To help hold the burgers together, partially mash beans into veggies with a large fork, mashing about 1/2 of the mixture and leaving the rest mostly whole. Partially whisk eggs and mix into the veggie mixture. Lastly keep adding remaining oats until desired texture is reached. The mixture will be a bit sticky, which is what we're going for!
To make the patties, your veggie mixture into 8 tightly packed balls.
Cup each in the palm of your hands and squeeze tightly, rotating as you gently but firmly press it into a disc using your thumb. Tightly packing each patty will help them hold together, as will chilling. I like mine on the thiner side so middles cook all the way through, but not so thin that they won't hold their shape.
Form into 8 patties, place on two parchment paper lined plates (or a baking sheet if you have room) and refrigerate 30 minutes or longer.
Feel free to prep these overnight, leaving them covered int the fridge to chill. I typically make one burger right away and then leave the remainder in the fridge overnight. The following day I cook up the rest of the burgers and split the batch between the fridge and freezer.
Ready to eat? Pour a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet, heat to medium-high, so the burgers sizzle when you add them to the pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side until you're left with a golden crust. and a warm center. Repeat for each burger, or cook two at once if you have a big enough pan! I'd skip crowding all four together just because they're a pain to flip when all up in eachother's business.
Once they've had a chance to partially freeze you can pile them in baggies or your favorite airtight container. To re-heat frozen veggie burgers, simply pop on a lined baking sheet in the oven or toaster oven for approx. 20 minutes at 400°F. Bake until the outside is crispy and the center is hot.
Notes
This recipe yields 8 delicious veggie burgers; some to scarf now and a few to freeze for laterFor a vegan veggie burger, use two flax eggs in place of the eggs.Nutrition Facts are an estimate gathered using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Values calculated for the veggie burger patties, adjust as needed with choice of toppings and extras.