Black Bean Veggie Burgers

The other night as I was preparing to make some food, I told the guys we would be having Black Bean Veggie Burgers for dinner.

Their meat deprived stomachs took over their sense of hearing and immediately threw out the words "black, bean, and veggie" leaving them thinking I was actually making big meaty burgers for dinner.  They seemed somewhat disgusted but not so secretly hopeful that I was being serious.  I quickly put an end to their salivating mouths by repeating myself with an emphasis on the black bean veggie part.

I think know there was a tinge of disappointment lining their questions about what exactly a "black bean" burger was.  Is it just beans?  How does it stay together?  Does it have vegetables?  What else is in it?  I can only assume it wasn't the actual contents of the burger that was duping them but rather a tiny bit of hope for some sort of meat product.

The skepticism continued right up until the moment that the burger entered their open and hungry mouths and then it fluttered away far more quickly than I had anticipated.  They oohed and aahed.  They praised the homemade buns, the unforeseen deliciousness of the burger, the yummy sauce slathered on the bun, and left me overall satisfied with my afternoon in the kitchen.

I took something that could have been an easily thrown together meal and turned it into an afternoon.  I carefully constructed my recipe for the burger, prepared homemade brioche buns (recipe coming soon!), created several sauces, and ended up with a pretty darn yummy meal.

And now it's your turn.  You can make it an afternoon or you can throw it together in thirty minutes.  It's up to you.  I highly encourage the homemade buns but don't require them.  Toppings are yours to choose.  And so are the sides.  Seems pretty great, right?

black bean veggie burgers

Makes: 4 burgers   Prep Time: 10 minutes   Cook Time: 10-20 minutes   Total Time: 30 minutes

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
1/2 can corn, drained
1/2 red pepper or 2 baby red peppers, cut into large pieces
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 shallot, cut into large pieces
1 egg
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
toppings- (optional)
4 slices cheddar cheese
1 large tomato, sliced thin
1 avocado, pitted and sliced thin
arugula
4 homemade (or not) buns
"Spicy Sauce" - Consisting of mayo, steak sauce, finely minced garlic, salt, pepper, and tabasco
(I didn't measure quantities so just start small and do a lot of taste testing!)
 

Directions: 
1. Gather your ingredients.
2. After draining, rinsing, and patting the beans dry transfer them to a large bowl and mash with a fork.  You can mash them entirely or leave a few whole.  It's up to you!
3. In a food processor combine corn, cilantro, red peppers, shallot, garlic, and olive oil.  Pulse until thoroughly combined.  Add mixture from the food processor to the bowl of beans along with the bread crumbs, egg, spices, salt and pepper.  Stir well.
4.  Form mixture into 4 patties.  If grilling, wrap burgers in foil and grill for about 8 minutes on each side.  If baking, place patties on a lightly greased baking sheet for 10 minutes on each side in a 375° oven.  If pan frying, heat a bit of vegetable oil in a large skillet or spray with non-stick spray and cook burgers for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Top with cheese to melt if using.
5. Spread both sides of the bun with "spicy sauce" or whatever else you may be using.  Start with a handful of arugula, top with the black bean burger, then add the avocado and tomato.
6. Serve immediately with homemade fries, sweet potato fries, a simple salad, or a yummy bowl of gazpacho.
7. Enjoy!