This Veggie Burger is Butcher-Approved

For years, veggie burgers have had a bad rap, and for good reason: too often they're of the grocery-store freezer-aisle variety made of flavorless soy protein with a homogenous texture that resembles nothing in the natural world.

The key to making a good veggie burger is to quit pretending it's an actual burger (if you're going to do that, just eat a damn burger), and celebrate the very essence of this sandwich: vegetables.

So how do you make the perfect veggie burger? For starters, get a recipe from fourth-generation butcher Cara Nicoletti, because who better to trust with your vegetables than a woman who knows her way around a slab of meat?

RECIPE: Ultimate Vegetarian Burger

This version is packed full of beets, mushrooms, lentils, and bulgur, so it's got enough of a varied texture and complex flavor to actually taste like real food, and it's got enough heft to hold up when you cook it and eat it.

This veggie burger is so damn meaty, in fact, you'll forget that no animal slaughter was required for you to enjoy the hell out of it.