Black Bean Veggie Burgers

I'm not your textbook vegetarian. I don't stock my fridge with tempeh, tofu and seitan, though perhaps I should.

 

I can't stand the taste of fake meat. If I'm not eating the real thing, then I don't want anything like it. Fake hot dogs just gross me out, though admittedly I've never been a hot dog fan.

And until a few days ago, I had never made my own veggie burgers.

It almost seems shameful to admit.

Sure I've eaten plenty of them, those easy, frozen ones you can buy at the grocery store and the particularly delicious ones served at some of my favorite restaurants (who wouldn't love a veggie burger topped with pineapple and a fried egg?).

These black bean veggie burgers are just delicious. They come together in a few minutes in the food processor, and you probably have most of the ingredients for them in your pantry and fridge.

I'm not sure why I didn't make these before.

Mark Bittman's recipes make throw-everything-together recipes like this a cinch. Any beans, any nuts, any add-ins, all thrown together, and you've got yourself one tasty burger.




Black Bean Veggie Burger
recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman 

Ingredients
1 14-ounce can black beans, well drained
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large egg
Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine black beans, oats, tomato paste, chili pepper flakes, minced garlic, a large egg, salt and pepper. Pulse the mixture until it is chunky but not smooth. You should have a nice, moist mixture.

Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to soften the oats (At this point, you can prepare a pan to bake the burgers or put the mixture in the fridge overnight to use the next day).

With wet hands, shape the black bean mixture into whatever size patties you like. Grease the bottom of a large skillet with oil. Turn the heat on to medium. Add the patties a minute later.

Cook the patties until they are nicely browned, about 5 minutes on each size.

Serve the burgers with your desired toppings. I enjoyed them with a bun and without! At this stage, you can also freeze the burgers for later use.