Recipes for Health: Cutting Down on the Meat, but Not the Taste — Recipes for Health

Some of America’s biggest food service companies are committed to increasing vegetable consumption, but they don’t want to lose their meat-loving customers, so they are figuring out ways to create dishes with less meat that are still appealing. You may face this challenge in your own family; you want everybody to cut down on meat consumption, but they love their burgers.

Scott Samuel, a chef instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, Calif., has developed a savory roasted mushroom base that he mixes with hamburger meat for a delicious burger that he presented at the World of Healthy Flavors conference in January. It looked, smelled, acted and tasted like a burger (well, a very vegetal burger), and it had the added quality of being very moist. Everybody gave it high marks in a taste test and I made a mental note to make the base at home and use it in burgers, meatballs and more. All of this week’s recipes are meat dishes, but they each have only 2 to 3 ounces of meat per serving.

Chef Scott Samuel’s Roasted Mushroom Base and Mushroom Burgers

This is the mushroom base that Scott Samuel, a chef instructor at the Culinary Institute of America, uses in conjunction with beef in his burgers. I have cut the amount of olive oil that Scott uses from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds cremini mushrooms, cut in small dice if large, quartered if small

Kosher salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon mushroom powder, made by pulverizing dried mushrooms in a spice mill (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

2. In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on the baking sheets.

3. Bake 1 sheet at a time on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender. They will reduce considerably in volume. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Process in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until chopped fine but still retaining some texture. Taste and adjust seasonings. Mix in mushroom powder if desired.

Yield: 1 1/4 pounds (about 3 cups)

Advance preparation: You can keep this on hand in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Nutritional information per 4 ounces: 136 calories; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 9 milligrams sodium (does nt include salt to taste); 6 grams protein

Mushroom and Beef Burgers

These are inspired by the Culinary Institute of America Chef Scott Samuel’s mushroom beef burgers. They are half lean beef, half roasted mushrooms (Chef uses 2 parts meat and 1 part mushrooms), and they are incredibly moist.

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound roasted mushroom base (see above)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or a mix of parsley, mint, cilantro and dill

1 egg

Canola or grapeseed oil for the pan (1 to 2 tablespoons)

Hamburger buns (preferably whole wheat), lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and the usual burger fixings

1. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, roasted mushroom base, onion, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, and egg. Form 6 to 8 patties and place them on a plate or a lightly oiled sheet pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Heat 1 or 2 large, heavy skillets over medium-high heat and add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom (about 1 tablespoon). When the pans are hot, add the patties and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to the parchment-lined sheet pan and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, let sit for a couple of minutes, and serve.

Yield: Eight 4.5-ounce patties or six 6-ounce patties

Advance preparation: The roasted mushroom base will keep for three days in the refrigerator. The patties can be assembled several hours before you cook them and refrigerated. They can also be wrapped individually in plastic and frozen; they will release a lot of juice from the mushrooms when you thaw them but they will still be moist.

Nutritional information per serving (patties only; 6 servings): 279 calories; 21 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 50 milligrams cholesterol; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 64 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 18 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (patties only; 8 servings): 209 calories; 16 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 38 milligrams cholesterol; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 48 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 14 grams protein

Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”

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