Paleo “Ramen Burgers” with Parsnip Noodle Buns
These paleo ramen burgers are a great healthy spin on the latest food porn trend. You can sub ground beef for the turkey if you're looking for a classic patty, and add whatever toppings you like. I served them with a cilantro mayo (1/2 cup mayo, 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice). Other healthy ideas include mashed avocado, whole grain mustard, Bibb lettuce, sliced tomato or onions.
You can make the buns in advance and reheat in a 350 F degree oven. You can also keep the buns warm in the oven while the turkey burgers are cooking.
Also note: this recipe will take less time with two skillets going (one for the buns, another for the burgers) but it’s a lot of multi-tasking and, of course, more dishes. Feel free to try it though if you're trying to cut down on time.
Servings 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Sauté the parsnip noodles over medium-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and transfer to a mixing bowl. Allow to cool for 2 minutes, then stir in the eggs.
- Wipe out the skillet, and heat another tablespoon of the oil over a medium flame. Fill four ramekins halfway with the parsnip mixture and press down with the back of your spoon to compress the noodles. When the oil shimmers, add the parsnip buns by inverting the ramekins over the pan and tapping the bottom. Use a spatula to push in any stray noodles and form a round. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until nicely browned. Carefully flip and cook for 2 more minutes on the second side. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining parsnip batter in two additional batches (you’ll have 12 total buns). [Note: to keep the buns warm, you can transfer to a baking sheet and stash in a 300 degree oven until the burgers are ready to be assembled].
- In a medium mixing bowl, with clean hands, combine the turkey, ginger, garlic, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Form the meat mixture into 6 equal balls.
- Add another 1 tablespoon of oil to the same skillet you used for the buns and set it over medium-high heat. Add the burgers, 3 at a time, and press down with a spatula to form a thin patty, roughly the same size as the buns. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the burgers are browned on both sides and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining patties.
- Assemble: top the parsnip buns with one turkey burger, a dollop of the condiment of your choice (see suggestions), arugula, and the second bun. Serve warm!
Notes
I used the inspiralizer and per Ali’s instructions in Inspiralize Everything, used Blade D. For a how-to on spiralizing parsnips with this machine, click here. Otherwise, whatever spiralizing apparatus will do! If you don’t own a spiralizer, you can simply grate the parsnips. They just won’t resemble ramen burger patties. But I’m sure will taste delicious! In her book, Ali recommends chilling the parsnip bun molds for 15 minutes, but I only had 2 ramekins, so in the name of efficiency skipped this step. The buns still turned out great, they just needed a little more shaping with my spatula.