This month, I’m thrilled to open up Weeknight Simple to a very special guest: the brilliant Lukas Volger. If you’ve been following my work for a while, you might remember his Spicy Carrot and Peanut Burgers I shared a couple of years ago—one of the most-loved recipes I’ve ever published. And for good reason. Lukas has a gift for creating vegetarian food that’s deeply flavorful, and his recipes have a grounded, nourishing quality I come back to again and again.
He is the author of several beloved cookbooks (including Start Simple, Veggie Burgers Every Which Way, and his latest, The Bread Machine Book).
This trio of veggie burgers—Tempeh, Tofu, and Carrot-White Bean—makes the perfect centerpiece for summer grilling, or a week of meal-prepped lunches you’ll actually look forward to. I’m still tinkering with my own veggie burger formula, but in the meantime, here are three from the expert himself.
This post is also open access—so if you're not a paid subscriber to Weeknight Simple yet, enjoy this little August treat. And if you love these as much as I do, I highly recommend subscribing to Lukas’s Substack Family Friend by Lukas Volger and checking out his books.
You’ll find a full shopping list at the bottom of the post to make prep even easier.
Happy grilling,
💚 Vasudha
Weeknight Simple, August Edition by Lukas Volger
Hello and happy summer! It’s a pleasure to share some of my favorite recipes with you in this series. I’ve been writing vegetarian cookbooks for over 15 years now, and being a vegetable lover, this is my favorite time of year. On the East Coast where I live, sweet and juicy produce is hitting its stride, and I always try to eat as many of my meals out of doors, because as hot as it may get, I know that it’ll be cold sooner than I’d like.
I’m not a nutritionist and really don’t have much of a science brain, but I’ve always aligned myself with healthy eating and I’ve always been very active—from playing tennis and running, to going to the gym and generally being on my feet all day. As I get older, I continue to realize how important protein is for keeping me fueled and strong. So when I develop new recipes, protein is often front of mind, and a large part of what I focus on in my Substack newsletter.
Since it’s August and veggie burgers are one of my specialties, Vasudha asked me to share a few favorites from my years of making them. We decided to focus on ones that are good sources of protein. One caveat, though: Vegetarian eating requires diversity of foods if you’re aiming for specific protein targets using whole foods. As you likely know, this is because protein just doesn’t exist in such concentrated sources as it does in meat and omnivorous diets.
So to help up the protein with veggie burgers, I get creative with toppings and condiments. I lean on yogurt sauces, or nut or seed-butter based condiments, slices of avocado or guacamole, crunchy bean sprouts, grilled or seared mushrooms, hummus, and love to serve them on good whole wheat buns, or to crown big, nutritious salads. And when all that fails, a slice of cheese is always an easy cheat!
Sweet & Savory Tempeh Burgers
Tempeh is a plant protein that’s taken me much longer to warm up to than it should have. I always liked the texture, but I needed to learn how to work with its flavor. It turns out sweetness is key (after all, tempeh is a centuries-old staple in Javanese and Indonesian cuisine, which is vibrant with bright, punchy tropical flavors). In this burger, chewy medjool dates help to bind it, and there’s plenty of additional texture from chewy brown rice, crunchy almonds, and a few aromatics.
Essential Tofu Burgers
Tofu is such an easy one to turn into a burger – you could easily just grill a slab of it and stick it between buns! But I love what happens to the texture of a veggie burger when the tofu is grated, imparting a lightness and delicateness. Some of the tofu here is blended up to function as the binder, and on top of that, a few classic Asian pantry staples round out the flavoring.
Carrot & White Bean Veggie Burgers
When I first started making veggie burgers, what got me excited were the vegetables. Rather than using a mish mash of them for color and muddled flavor, I wanted to infuse the veggie burger with one featured vegetable, and then highlight its flavor with everything else in the burger. These carrot and white bean burgers are a good example of that. Grated carrots provide much of the burger’s body, and beans add protein and extra fiber. Sans bun, they’re an excellent base for a fried or poached egg at breakfast, and even turned into mini burgers which are great for snacking.
Get your consolidated shopping list here.
Have a wonderful week and I’ll see you soon with bonus recipe(s) for Weeknight Simple, from a very special upcoming cookbook.
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Thanks so much for featuring me, Vasudha! It's prime time to fire up the grill!
The tempeh burgers look amazing - can't wait to try them.