Black Bean Burgers

Everybody loves a burger, and I’m no exception.  But with the cost of meat sky high, they are seldom a budget meal.

These family favorite black bean burgers are a very tasty alternative to the beef or turkey versions, and they pack so much flavor that I don’t think you or your family will miss the other kind at all. 

They are also very easy to make. It’s just a matter of mixing all the ingredients in a bowl and mashing them together with a potato masher or your hands.  

​And they offer many different meal alternatives. You can serve them on a roll, or by themselves, with a tossed green salad and a vegetable of your choice.  You can also include regular potato or sweet potato oven fries instead of, or in addition to the rolls.

​Without the roll, the burgers make a gluten free meal for those who need that option. And, for one of my sons, who has developed an allergy to eggs in adulthood, I use one of the egg substitutes you can find in my blog post here.

For heartier appetites, I do I serve these burgers with both the roll and fries.  But you can also just serve one or the other for a lighter meal. 

The burgers can also be served with guacamole and salsa, as instructed in the recipe, or they can be served the simpler, traditional burger way, with just plain catsup and relish.  Either way, it’s good! Or you can try the spicy catsup alternative I mention in the recipe. I got the idea from a french fry food truck that offered many varieties of toppings for the fries, including one that was very similar to the one I've created here. It's my favorite so far. 

This recipe makes 7 large burgers at a cost of about $6.00, including the rolls, cheese and guacamole. That’s about 85¢ a burger. With a green, tossed salad and a vegetable, the meal comes to about $1.25 per serving. 

​With your own home-made oven fries, it’s about $1.50 per person. Use store-bought fries instead, and the meal is about $1.75-$2.00 per person. 

The burgers take about 10 minutes to mix and shape. But I recommend combining and mashing the ingredients and putting the mixture in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes before trying to form the patties.

​You can skip this step, but it does make it much easier and less messy to shape the burgers. 

The total prep time for the recipe is about 20 minutes if you use store-bought fries or don't use fries at all, or about 35 minutes if you make your own.

​A realistic start-to-finish-time if you refrigerate the mixture before shaping the burgers is 50-90 minutes. If you make the burger mix early in the day (or the night before), this meal can be ready in 20-35 minutes.

Here’s the recipe:

​Black Bean Burger Meal
Makes 7 large burgers
Total prep time – 30-90 minutes (depending on if you opt to refrigerate mix before shaping burgers)
Start to finish time – Approx. 40 minutes
Total recipe cost – Approx. $6.00
Total per person meal cost  with rolls, French or sweet potato fries, vegetable and salad – Approx. $2.00

Ingredients for the Burgers:
2 15-ounce cans black beans 
2 jalapeno peppers (this is mild, but use more or less to taste)
 OR
2 tablespoons jalapeno relish, or similar product (to taste)
4-6 green onions
1 cup oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
​1 teaspoon black pepper
​1 teaspoon paprika
4-6 ounces Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or cheese of your choice
4-8 tablespoons salsa (homemade or store-bought) (optional)
-OR-
Spicy Catsup (mix catsup and mayo in 2:1 ratio, with 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder + cayenne pepper)
Romaine, green or red lettuce, spinach, or other salad green (optional)
Avocado (optional)
6-8 hamburger rolls (optional)

Ingredients for the Meal (optional):
​
French fries or sweet potato fries 
Fresh tossed green salad
Fresh or frozen vegetable of your choice

Recipe continues after photos

Procedure:

1. Rinse and drain the 2 cans of beans in a colander and put them in a sturdy mixing bowl.
2. Measure the 1 cup of oatmeal into the beans.
3. Cut off the stems and chop the 2 jalapeño peppers relatively fine and add then to the bowl. Or measure the jalapeño relish into the bowl.
4. Peel off the outermost layer of the green onions and wash them. Cut the tips off and then slice the white portion of the onion and well up into the green portion into thin slices. Add the onions to the mixture in the bowl.
5. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them until well blended. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the 1 teaspoon each of cumin, paprika, and black pepper,  and blend well.
6. Add the egg mixture to the bean mixture and mix everything together well with a spoon or fork.
7. Now, pressing firmly, use a potato masher and mash everything together well. It is okay if a few beans are still whole, but most of them should be a pureed consistency.
8. Put the mix in the refrigerator for about 30-60 minutes (longer is okay, too) to let it set and make it easier to shape the burgers.
9. Potato Prep: Meanwhile, if you are making sweet potato or regular French fries, start to get them ready about an hour before you expect to eat.
10. Turn on the oven to 400°F bake. 
11. Wash and scrub 3-4 large sweet potatoes. Or wash and scrub 6-8 medium potatoes.  Remove the worst of the damaged parts.
12. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then continue slicing each half into thin slices. Cut the slices to make relatively uniform wedges about ¼ inch thick.  Or dice them very large, about 1-inch in size. 
13. Measure 2-3 tablespoons of oil into a mixing bowl and add the potato wedges. Toss the potatoes in the oil to coat them completely. 
14. Shake some salt and pepper over the potatoes and toss again.
15. Spread the potatoes in a single layer in a large cookie sheet.
16. Place the sheet in the pre-heated oven and turn the temperature down to 350 degrees.  
17. Set the timer for 25 minutes as a reminder to turn the potatoes. When the timer goes off, turn them carefully and return them to the oven. Set the timer for another 20 minutes. 
18. Check them when the timer goes off to see if they’re done to your taste, or if you’d like to cook them a bit longer. Set a timer as a reminder.
19. The potatoes are done when they are golden and somewhat crispy. 
20. Make the burgers. About 25 minutes before you expect to eat, take the burger mixture from the refrigerator and shape it into 6-7 patties.
21. Set them aside on a plate.
22. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium to large frying pan over medium heat.
23. Place the burgers carefully into the heated oil and cook them for about 5- 7 minutes or until golden brown. Set the timer as a reminder to turn the burgers.
24. Turn the burgers. Slice the cheese quite thinly and place a slice or two on top of each burger, as desired. Reset the timer for another 5-7 minutes.
25.  Meanwhile, wash and cut the avocado lengthwise, if you are making guacamole. Remove the seed. Scoop the avocado out of the skin with a large spoon and into a bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork and/or spoon. Squeeze a little lemon juice over it, add some salt and pepper to taste and blend everything well.
26. When the timer for the burgers goes off a second time,  remove the burgers from the heat.
27. Serve the burgers with a topping of the guacamole, some greens of your choice, and salsa or catsup on a roll, if desired, with the fries and steamed vegetables on the side, along with a tossed salad.  It makes a great meal.