I love vegetarian cooking, because it’s so adventurous. The exploration in mimicking meat-based favorites in vegetarian form can lead to some fun food combinations. Bean burgers are an obvious, but they can be tricky as some can be dry, or crumble easily. Throughout the years, I’ve tried many versions, and have struggled to find a bean burger which stays together while cooking. I recently made a delicious chickpea sweet potato burger, but it does have a significant amount of breadcrumbs, which does make for the firmest bean burger. I’ll be making that one again. I did create a black bean burger without bread crumbs, which also holds together nicely while cooking. I had no issues with crumbling, and these were moist and full of flavor.
Besides the fact these burgers actually hold together nicely, and that my 9 year-old loves them, these were very economical for me to make. I bought sweet potatoes for 33 cents a pound last week (Aldi), and I can my own black beans at 20 cents a pint. I buy my quinoa at Costco for a great price as well.
Chilling bean burgers is key for making an easy flip in the frying pan, as they stay together that much better. If facing a busy day, put these together in the morning, or the night before, and serve tater tots and a bagged salad as sides. You can top the burger with avocado, bbq sauce, or sour cream. Build this Southwestern burger to be anything you want – – make it an adventure.
Southwestern Black Bean Sweet Potato Burger
- 1 1/2 cups cooked mashed sweet potato
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 (15 ounce) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 large clove grated garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 3/4 cups cheddar cheese
Combine sweet potatoes and beans. Smash beans as mixing together with potato, while leaving some whole.
Add seasonings
And the rest of the ingredients except cheese
Mix, and add cheese
Form into patties, cover with foil and chill
When ready to cook, heat oil on medium high, and brown on each side until crispy. Don’t cook at too high of a temperature, because they will burn on the outside, while not being heated on the inside. Serve on a bun with toppings.
I love vegetarian meals and this one certainly looks and sounds delicious !