Black Bean Veggie Burgers


"I LOVE VEGGIE BURGERS!"

For some reason, I had an aversion to veggie burgers even before trying them. I think I was turned off by the processed looking ones in the freezer section of the grocery store. Also, when I think of burgers, big, fat, juicy beef ones come to mind. How can vegetables be made into a burger? My Middle One said, "It's on a bun, it's burger-shaped, you can eat it with french fries. It's a burger." OK. I'll go with that explanation. I am now a veggie burger convert.

I made veggie burgers, from a Food & Winerecipe, for one of personal cheffing clients. I was astonished when I tasted a bite. Absolutely delicious. The burgers were full of carrots, potatoes, scallions, corn, mushrooms, and garlic and seasoned with cayenne pepper and cumin. I was so excited that I made a batch when I got home.

I did modify the recipe for my Black Bean and Veggie Burgers and included black beans and spinach. A drizzle of chipolte mayo on mine, blue cheese dressing on The Husband's, and just plain for My Oldest. I got one of my three kids to try the burgers and we gave them rave reviews. Even though No Thank You Boy said, "No thank you," to the burgers, he did comment on the rainbow of colors from all the vegetables. We are adding veggie burgers to our menu. I can't wait to make different versions - Teriyaki Edamame Veggie Burgers, Italian Cannellini Veggie Burgers, and Thai Chile Veggie Burgers.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers
adapted from a recipe in Food & Wine, April 2008

makes 6 4-inch burgers or 18 sliders

2 tablespoons olive oil plus additional for cooking the burgers
1 cup corn
2 cups mushrooms, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 potato, peeled and grated
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed - mash 3/4 of the can and leave the remaining beans whole
salt
pepper
1/2 cup panko

whole wheat buns
mini potato rolls
any burger toppings you like - these would be good with guacamole or chipolte mayo

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and add corn, mushrooms, and scallions. Cook for about 5 - 7 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach, carrot, and potato and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove for the heat and add the mashed and whole beans and the panko. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Shape into burger or slider sized patties and place on a large platter.

Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a skillet and cook burgers until golden brown and crispy on each side. Serve on a bun, eat it plain, they are great just about any way you would like them.

9 comments:

grace said...

i like a good veggie burger, but i LOVE black bean burgers. this is a stellar recipe!

Nate said...

I'll always prefer a big chunk of meat when it comes to burgers, but there are some fine meatless burgers out there. If I prepared them, I'd leave out the mushrooms and use serrano peppers, but these still sound tasty.

amycaseycooks said...

a. grace - thanks for the compliment. I was surprised how much I liked these burgers being that I thought I preferred a real beef burger.

nate - your varitations sound good. That is why I am now a veggie burger fan. There are so many possibilites.

Anonymous said...

These were great...my hubby and 3 year old ate them up! (I never get spinach, mushrooms or scallions into her!) I felt like my "patties" wanted to fall apart while cooking, but the addition of sliced cheddar on top while the 2nd side was cooking solved this. I had a lot left over and I plan to use it like hash with fried eggs one morning and on top of a salad with a cooked patty for lunch another day. Great recipe!!

amycaseycooks said...

Smithko - So glad you and your family enjoyed the burgers. I have been putting my patties into the fridge for about 30 minutes before cooking. It seems to help them keep their shape.

Thanks for reading!!

Juliann said...

Thank you for the great recipe. I am trying to go meatless a few meals each week and this is on the menu for next week. Cant wait to try them.

Juliann said...

Oh my goodness. I LOVED this burger. Who knew? I did leave out the mushrooms because I cant get over my dislike of fungus but I dont think we missed them. I used frozen corn too. I loved the crunchy edges and the seasoning was just perfect. I served it on a whole wheat bun with some avocado and tomato diced and it was the perfect meals for me. Next time I might even wrap it in a tortilla to give more room for lettuce and more avocado. This is a great run to the pantry meal in minutes. THANK YOU!!!

Juliann said...

I have been happily making these burgers since you posted them....and I found a nice easy variation and I wanted to share it. I had no potato so I used 1/2 cup of left over mashed potatoes. It made them taste exactly the same but they stuck together so much better and where easier to form into a burger shape.

amycaseycooks said...

Thanks Juliann - great idea to use mashed potatoes. We usually do not have leftover mashed potatoes when I make them so I will have to double my batch next time.