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I'm not going to fabricate a story about how much I despised beans until I created this amazing spicy black bean burger. Not only do I like them, I crazy-stalker like them. I put them in my eggs, and eat them straight for lunch.
In case you doubt this recipe because I'm a self proclaimed bean loving weirdo (guilty!) just know my husband loves this spicy black bean burger too.
I love sweet heat, and these babies covered in chipotle mayo are perfect. They are also cost effective, less calories than a regular burger and contain vegetables. (Um, score) I'm always on the prowl for enticing ways to eat vegetables. Let's be honest, you don't have to hunt to find a delicious way to eat bread. It's bread.
Let's talk black bean burgers:
Firstly, you won't see me compare a spicy black bean burger to a beef patty. I don't compare my tuxedo cat to a black jaguar. Why? Because one snoozes on my patio furniture and the other hunts birds in the Amazon Rain forest. They're different animals. This black bean burger will not taste like the best beef burger you ever had, because it's not beef.
It will however taste amazing - as a black bean burger should. Move over Morningstar, black bean burgers just got better!
In this recipe, I leave half of the beans, peppers and onions out of the food processor and add them in at the end. This gives the burger some good texture. Never have I heard of anything good in the food world described as a big pile of mush. (Applesauce maybe? Eh, still no)
I took some pictures of what the mixture should look like before forming into patties. If it looks like someone ralphed Chipotle into a bowl then you're doing it right. (Yep, I went there.)
In this recipe, I do bake the beans after draining. It basically drys them out a bit, which also helps with texture. It takes minimal effort but does add a little bit of time to the recipe.
For better black bean burger making mojo:
Say that three times fast.
- Make the patties ahead of time. If you can make them earlier in the day or the night before, they heat up nicely and then all you have to do is assemble. You can reheat at 350 degrees until just heated through or even microwave in 30 second intervals until reheated.
- Make the chipotle aioli (fancy word for fancy mayo) ahead of time. If you don't have time to make the patties, but do have a few minutes to spare - just make the chipotle mayo. One less step for later plus it tastes good on everything but your morning cheerios.
- If you don't have a food processor, just use your blender. Not just for smoothies anymore!
- If you avoid gluten like I avoid Stephen King movies (think creepy clown flicks) just substitute the bread crumbs for gluten free ones. You really shouldn't even notice a difference.
These taste great topped with avocado but you could also add Home made guac. I used Chick Fil A's gluten free bun. I like to pick up a few extras when I'm there. I freeze them to either use for peanut butter toast or the next time I make one of these (which is all the time).
Spicy Black Bean Burger
Ingredients
For the black bean burgers
- 2 15 oz. cans of black beans
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 small sweet onion
- ½ t. minced garlic
- 1 t. cumin
- ½ t. kosher salt
- 1 chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 lime
- 1 egg
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs*
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese
- olive oil for sauteing
For the chipotle mayo
- ½ cup mayo
- juice of ½ a lime
- 2 chipotle pepper in adobo
- 2 t. honey
Instructions
- Using a hand held strainer rinse and drain two cans of black beans. Scatter evenly on a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 minutes.
- While the beans bake, small dice the green pepper and onion. Add 1 T. olive oil and saute on medium high heat with the garlic until translucent yet still crunchy.
- In a large bowl, set aside half of the black beans and half the green pepper mixture.
- In a food processor, process the remaining green pepper mixture and the rest of the black beans with the egg, 1 chipotle pepper, cumin, salt and the juice from ½ a lime until a slightly chunky paste forms.
- Using a spatula scoop mixture into the large bowl with your beans and peppers. Add the bread crumbs and cheddar cheese and stir well.
- Use a ½ cup to make 5 patties about 3 ½ inches wide. Heat a large saute pan on medium high heat with a large drizzle of olive oil. Saute 3 patties at a time for 7 minutes on each side.
- For the chipotle mayo, using an immersion blender or food processor, process all ingredients until desired consistency.
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