I have a confession to make…I’m not a big lover of beef. While I love a really good steak now and then, beef is not something I gravitate to when I’m planning a meal. What I do love, however, is a really flavorful burger…and not just any burger, but I’ve come to love a really great black bean burger.
Over the course of way too many diets or attempts at eating healthier, I’ve tried a number of brands found in my store’s freezer section. And while there are some very tasty ones available, in my humble opinion I think they’re stupid expensive for such small quantities! Crazy really, when you think about the humble ingredients they include.
So, after digging around on my favorite platform, Pinterest, I worked up a black bean burger combining my favorites and a handy, healthy, super cheap binder trick – ground oats. The recipe below is truly flavor-packed, which is why I love them.
These burgers really are inexpensive to make and don’t contain any wild and crazy ingredients you wouldn’t normally keep in your refrigerator, freezer or pantry. If you’re a “staple stocker” like I am, watch for sales on canned beans or grab yourself a bag of dried black beans. They’re super cheap and super easy to cook up as you need them!
Before you get started, here are a couple of tips to make the burgers your own:
- A great alternative to quinoa is farro. While a larger grain, farro is another delicious and healthy protein alternative.
- Adjust the chipotle in adobo based on your desired heat index. You can also add in a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce.
- If you don’t want any heat at all, skip the chipotle in adobo and just go with the tomato paste.
- You can totally change the flavor profile by using other herbs and spices – Italian (2 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried parsley); Greek; plain old burger (skip the herbs/spices and just add salt and pepper!)
- These burgers are great with a variety of vegetables! Try peas, cauliflower (riced), broccoli (riced), etc.
- You can of course top these burgers as you like, with or without a bun. I love them with homemade guacamole and a little salsa, or traditional with a slice of great melting cheese.
- Double the batch! I always double the batch, shape the burgers, place on a cookie sheet and freeze. When frozen, I pack in sets of two. No need to thaw them before reheating. Just pop in the microwave for about 60-90 seconds, depending on the power of your microwave!
Easy & Inexpensive Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 C quinoa cooked according to package instructions
- 2 cans black beans, drained
- 1 C frozen or fresh corn
- 1 C onion small dice
- 2 T chipotle en adobo minced small
- 2 cloves garlic minced small
- 1/2 C cilantro chopped small
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 C rolled oats ground to breadcrumb consistency
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 T olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400*. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, and set aside. Cook quinoa in water, according to package directions. While quinoa is cooking, saute onion and garlic with 2 T of olive oil in a small pan until onion is translucent.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Shape into patties and place on baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes until the top begins to crisp. Flip burgers and cook another 10 minutes.
