Definitely cook them in the oven versus the microwave. And add sliced avocado!!

bacon

I'm thinking some really flavorful, slightly unorthodox burger toppings. Feta cheese, salsa, various salad dressings. They also do pretty well on an actual grill -- I think it improves the texture, at the very least.

And for next time, I've found that the MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers are by far the best. Heat them up on the grill, then top them with salsa and cheddar.

Cook them on the grill and pile them high with tons of fresh veggies-- avocado, tomato, pickles, lettuce, cucumber, red onion, diced artichoke hearts, anything you want!

pickles, mayo, catchup.

Cook them in the toaster/toaster oven versus the microwave.

Toast two slices of bread (or a bun). On the bottom slice spread a little mayo. On the top some ketchup and dill pickles. It almost tastes like a burger.

Also hummus can be good too.

Agree with the others--pile it up with lots of other stuff! Especially things with texture that will detract from the burger's texture. Smothering them with cheese sometimes helps ... Otherwise, I suppose you could also crumble them up and use them like Boca crumbles? Obviously not the same texture, but it could work

Well, not traditional, but when I have found myself with extra Boca burgers in the past, I have wrapped them in bacon and grilled until the bacon is crisp. A little cheese does nicely too.

Veggie burger cooked in a toaster oven with bacon, lettuce, tomato, spicy mustard and a toasted bun is my preferred method. Lightlife Smart Bacon if you're going for vegetarian.

I did the same thing before and although I will I could say otherwise, I ended up throwing most of mine away. Morning star is definitely the way to go on the vegan patties

Crumble a few patties and cook them up like ground meat for a chili base. Others have said this, but stay away from the microwave when heating them up.

Buy the Morningstar brand next time. They taste much better.

If you're trying to mask the taste altogether, maybe try a strong marinade?

Give them away and buy Morningstar Farms. The spicy black bean patties really are the best ones money can buy.

I kind of like Boca burgers! At least once in awhile. But they have to be grilled; I use a little George Foreman. My favorite sauce is a mixture of good bbq and goddess dressing, and of course tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and pickles are all great toppers.

Add some BBQ sauce! And next time, get a Gardenburger instead. They aren't meat-like, which I appreciate, and they are delicious dressed up like a regular burger.

After grilling or pan frying , place on plate and drizzle a mixture of half soy sauce and half lemon juice(real thing) on both sides and allow to soak in. I personally like them on a lightly toasted english muffin with lettuce and tomato.

Oh and a good bun is a must. I usually use Trader Joe's ciabatta rolls, brushed with a little olive oil and toasted.

I like to mash them up and use as a sloppy-joe base instead of like a plain burger. I find they are just dry no matter what - unless you add lots of a marinade or other sauce.

Boca burgers really make me get sick (they taste okay, but I mean physically sick) I go for the Morning Star burgers (I'm vegetarian), the bean kind. Definitely putting them in the oven is better, grill is the best. Put some BBQ sauce and cheese. They don't really go too far on their own, but good fixings really make them great.

My toddler son loves the Dr. Praeger's brand, which I cook on the grill. I'd imagine Boca would also be better on the grill. Use a little olive oil on a sheet of foil and grill til golden.

Cheese
Pesto
Crumble for chili
Soak in marinade and grill?

cook in a frying pan, top w cheese, serve on toasted bread or english muffin w ketchup. mmmmm

Fry them in butter. Or margarine if you're vegan.

Top with caramelized onions and mushrooms or guacamole.

We love Boca burgers, but we're meat eaters so we have an awesome way to make them better. We fry ours in bacon fat and top them with bacon. Obviously, not a solution for everyone but if you're like us and just enjoy the taste and convenience of them, this is a great way to take them to the next level.

I'd like to nominate this for the 'Most Unintentionally Hilarious Good Question' award.
Also would like to nominate aperocot for most hilarious answer.

Good stuff everyone, I've now had a fabulous Thursday.

I agree with the comment of BACON, any meat can help a veggie burger, you can try ham. If you don't EAT meat, then i recommend using them as tacos, and mixing them with sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, etc. Obviously you would need to chop them up after cooking :) But yes, grilling is best method.

Its simple really

Step 1) Feed them to a cow (may need to add bacon to get the cow to be interested)

Step 2) Eat the cow

Any strong sauce. I like BBQ on those bad boys because it hides the flavor (i think it might be the scent that get me though...) good luck! maybe try some in that taquitos recipe that was posted on here a bit earlier?

is it possible to mash them into "ground beef" and use them up that way? tacos, pasta sauce, etc? I must say of all the veggie burgers, boca are my least fav.

Bac-O's brand bacon bits are actually sort of vegan, as far as I can tell; the bacon flavor seems to be partially artificially derived. I've seen store brands of fake bacon bits that are 100% artificially flavored (a pig never went anwhere near it). So you may be able to fry a few fake bacon topping bits in vegetable oil to extract the flavor, and then fry the burgers in that.

The key is to drown out the flavor with other flavor(s). I'd moisten them, dredge them in a spice rub (like one would use on ribs), and then toss them on the grill. Mix up a sauce of half bbq sauce, half ketchup, a dash of honey, a pinch of your reserved spice rub. Then load up with fresh tomato, lettuce, avocado or onions, etc, and they should be OK. If you want to approximate bacon there are YouTube videos for faux bacon made with shiitake mushrooms (surprisingly it works pretty well).

I can't stomach the faux meat so make my own veggie burgers at home but then load them up with lots of unhealthy add-ons like a ridiculous amount of sharp cheddar.

I had to use up some extra boca burgers, too, once after discovering we didn't love them as burgers -- I chopped them pretty finely, and used in a breakfast burrito. My husband, who hates boca, said he enjoyed it! I used scrambled eggs, potatoes, and cheddar cheese. Wrapped in a softened tortilla. Served w/ lots of hot sauce.

I have also done the patty melt treatment with boca...lots of sweet caramelized onions, plenty of American cheese, and really crispy rye bread. Barely notice that it's a boca!

My vegan neighbor uses them in her chili, and I have to say, it's not bad either. Use for texture not for taste.

Sriracha mayo.

I would second the cheese and ketchup suggestions. Possibly at the same time.

I used to eat these daily. Grill (I use Griddler as an apt dweller) or microwave until nearly done, add some veg cheese as you finish cooking.

Add toppings as desired: Cholula, avocado, homemade ketchup (or delcious Heinz), sriracha, various flavored homemade mayo (endless opportunities here!), salsa, roasted red peppers, green chiles, sauteed mushrooms, grilled artichokes...

Wrap in either a toasted English muffin, a fluffy pita, a few fresh butter lettuce leaves, your favorite seedy bread... well, whatever.

For those saying to toss those bocas, please don't! Defrost, crumble and make lasagna or quesadillas or tacos or chili or "meatballs" or stuff into potstickers or ravioli. Sloppy joes. The "meat" in ma pa dofu.

WHERE did you get such bounty? A 4pk of Bocas are nearly $5 where I am (comparable to all the other prepared veggie burgers so thank you sales).

While Boca's aren't my favorite of frozen veggie burgers, they're a comfort food to me.

If a charity won't take them (as it's often hard to donate frozen foods), I will.

As others have mentioned, I've used them as the base for a vegetarian chili with good results.

Another idea which comes from a now defunct local bar is to dip the patties in beer batter and deep fry them before they go on your burger. Deep frying is like bacon for vegetarians - makes everything taste better.

Definitely broil, bake, pan fry, or grill them. Careful on the grill because they will dry out, but if you marinate them and/or brush them in oil that will help.

I second (third? fourth?) adding lots of tasty toppings--I used to like topping veggie burgers with mushrooms sauteed with some onion and worchestershire sauce. I think the key may be adding something with umami, since that's what a lot of veggie burgers lack (and beef burgers don't).

Thank you for all of these great ideas! This giant package was a Costco impulse buy (argh!), but now that I'm armed with these excellent tips, I think they won't go to waste. I'm not a vegetarian, so bacon is definitely a possibility, as well as all the other delicious topping ideas. I hadn't thought about marinating since they are frozen, but what a great thought! And I will try grilling -- I don't know why I believed that microwave was the best way to prepare these, but it is decidedly not. And thanks for the Morningstar tip -- I'll try those next time!

This is my favorite question on thekitchn EVER

I did the EXACT same thing....damn you Costco. Thanks for publishing this question! Now I know how to face the massive amounts of Boca in my freezer without feeling guilty or wasteful!

just put some BACON on. that will make them taste AWESOME.

Seriously though, I just grill them with spices and put tons of fresh veggies on the burger... like avocado, tomato, lettuce, black beans, zucchini, and mayo/ranch dressing... i know, terrible.

Pan fry them in a little oil with Worcestershire sauce, season salt, black pepper, and a good dose of onion powder. That is not vegan though as that sauce has anchovies in it. You could also pan fry them with a little fresh garlic, onions, soy sauce, and fresh ginger, and red chilis for a more asian flavor.

Caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, and some swiss cheese.

Apparently I am the only person on this site that loves microwaved boca burgers. I eat them plain. Yes, plain. No bun, no sauces, no veggies. They are delicious.

My veggie husband's suggestion: Drown them in hot sauce...or repurpose them as hockey pucks.

"Meat" flavored veggie burgers are not fit for human consumption. Feed them to your dog? Return them to costco for a refund?

As a vegetarian, I hate being offered these kinds of burgers (for instance, as a guest at a BBQ), but will usually eat them to be polite. I've always assumed that this problem was endemic to vegetarians all over. Who can like these things? Why do our meat eating friends keep serving them to us? Bean or veggie flavored please!

I'm a non-vegetarian who cooks these from time to time cos it's easy to work with.

Just butter them up (in true Wisconsin form - where they're made) and put them on the frying pan. Once one side is done, flip it, and put on some cheddar cheese (preferably from Wisconsin, too).

I'm kind of appalled at all the "add bacon! eat cows!" comments here. What are we, third-graders?

I happen to think Boca burgers are the best of the fake-burger options out there, short of making a veggie patty from scratch. The key is dressing them up. Add cheese (or soy cheese, if you're vegan), a good spicy bbq sauce, veggies, etc. You can also mimic burgers sold at popular burger joints. Red Robin, for example, offers Boca patties as a substitute for any of their regular burgers. I love the one with bbq sauce and fried onions, and my fiance (also vegetarian) likes them with grilled jalapenos and cheese.

Add a fried egg and smoked gouda on top of the veggie burger. Unhealthy, I know, but so delicious!

If you are vegan or just vegetarian adding bacon isn't an option. The reason why some many commentators are suggesting adding bacon is because faux meats lack is fat. The "fat" is what we enjoy about meats in particular. I suggest adding a good fat to the burger by defrosting first, and soaking it in olive oil, linseed oil, season then bake, grill or broil. top with whatever you like, but cooked this way, you can simply add onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo or mustard and cheese you will be very pleased.

Another tip is to marinade in a sauce that has a bit of sweet to it, like BBQ (add some water and soy sauce) for an hours, then add the fat in the pain and broil.

They are also better when you use a George Foreman grill and you have added the fat.

If you are not vegetarian don't go with vegan; I believe they still sell a non-vegan version. Also, the cheeseburger flavor one is really one of their "better" burgers.

Enjoy!!!

I like to do this: Microwave both sides of the patty until done. If you zap it too long, the edges will get hard. Put it in bread with sandwich stuff and cheese. Fry it up like a panini. I like it with rye bread, orange dressing or barbecue sauce, and two slices of Swiss. It might taste better if you fry up the patty, but microwaving seems cleaner, faster and easier and tastes fine.