Smokey Vegan Black Bean Burgers

I really enjoy making vegetarian meals. Not pasta with marinara sauce. Like a meal loaded up with veggies, beans, and unprocessed grains. Fortunately I have a vegetarian friend who shares some of her recipes with me, like the one I adapted this recipe from All Recipes. Now, I don’t typically go out of my way to make vegan meals, sometimes it happens on accident. Like this one. In a nutshell, I didn’t have any eggs so I used the chia seeds (which thicken up when soaked in water) as the binding agent. This is a great trick for anyone trying to go vegan!

Here’s what I used: bell pepper, half an onion, garlic, 2 cans of black beans, spinach, bread crumbs, spices (salt not pictured), and liquid smoke (not pictured).

The spices I used for this were very similar to what I use in my taco seasoning: chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, chipotle chili powder, and cilantro.

 The prep for this is so easy. No finely dicing or mincing. Just roughly chop up all the veggies and throw them in the food processor. The food processor is such a wonderful invention. I would have never made these burgers pre-food processor. Actually I think I got this food processor just to make felafel, which is essentially the same thing; just smaller, different bean, and different spices.

I digress. Once the veggies are processed, I added in half the beans, the spinach, chia seeds (this is where you would throw in the egg if you weren’t being an accidental vegan, like me), all the yummy spices, and bread crumbs. I processed this until it was almost smooth. Then, I add the rest of the beans and just pulsed until combined. I want some whole beans in there to give it texture. This is also when I made the decision to add the liquid smoke. It was a great decision. Gave the patties a nice smokey, almost grilled flavor. When I make these again, I will toss the liquid smoke in with all the spices and bread crumbs.

Now, let me tell you, I have made plenty of bean-based patties before, and the one thing that always happens is that they stick to the baking sheet, no matter how much oil or baking spray is on there. To combat this, I sprinkled 6 patty sized circles of bread crumbs on the baking sheet which I lined with parchment paper (for easy cleanup). I also sprinkled on some salt on top of the breadcrumbs for some extra flavor. 

 
Then, once the patties are formed, I placed them on top of the bread crumb circles and then hit them with an extra sprinkle of salt on top. I baked them for about 20 minutes until the outside of the patty was hard and no longer sticky. I let them cool for a bit so they wouldn’t fall apart on me, but thanks to the breadcrumbs, they lifted right off the baking sheet without a struggle. 

 
I decided to serve my burger on a skinny burger bun, and top with spinach, tomato, and salsa. B added cheese to his. I think guacamole or even a mango, pineapple, or corn salsa would be delicious on these as well. 

Both B and I love this recipe and I will be making them again soon! Check out the recipe after the jump!

 


 

Smokey Black Bean Burgers
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 bell pepper, roughly chopped
½ onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp chia seeds, soaked in 3 tbsp water for at least 5 minutes (or sub with an egg to make non-vegan)
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
¼ cup bread crumbs (sub with almond meal to make gluten free) + extra for baking sheet
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried cilantro (or 1 tbsp fresh)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp liquid smoke
6 burger buns of your choosing
Your choice of toppings: lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, guacamole. The sky’s the limit!

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a food processor or blender add in the bell pepper, onion, and garlic and pulse until finely chopped.
3. Add in half of the black beans, spinach, chia seeds, bread crumbs, spices, and liquid smoke and process until almost smooth. Add in the rest of the black beans and just pulse until combined.
4. On a prepared baking sheet, sprinkle breadcrumbs and salt. Form 6 equally sized patties from the black bean mixture and place on top of breadcrumbs on the baking sheet. Sprinkle top of black bean burger with salt.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until outside of patty is no longer sticky.
6. Serve on toasted burger buns with the toppings of your choice.

Nutritional Information (just the patty, not the bun):
Calories: 370; Fat: 2.3g; Cholesterol: 0g; Sodium: 436mg; Carbohydrates: 67.5g; Dietary Fiber: 16.3g; Sugars: 3.6g; Protein: 22.5g