Weeknight Black Bean Burgers
This is one of those recipes that comes straight from my everyday life- it’s quick, easy, and uses ingredients I usually have on hand- like canned black beans, onion, and batch-cooked quinoa. Gluten-free, plant-based, and great to batch up on the weekend as part of your meal prep routine, or whip up quickly during the week.
Another thing I love about these black bean burgers is that you can cook them all at once, you can cook one as you need it (by pan-frying in a bit of avocado oil), or you can bake the whole batch for a family dinner or to freeze for later. It’s your choice!
Ingredient and Cooking Tips for Black Bean Burgers
Black Beans
I use one can of black beans in this recipe. To get the biggest nutritional bang for your buck, use organic beans and make sure the can is BPA free. That will ensure you’re not ingesting toxic chemicals that can do all kinds of damage to your gut and endocrine system. If you prefer to cook your own beans (the best!), check out this post where I walk you through how to do it.
Zucchini
I used zucchini in this recipe because I’d recently gotten a TON of it from my farm share, and needed creative ways to use it up (‘cuz there’s only so much grilled or sautéed zucchini a girl can eat, am I right?). I used the shredder disc on my food processor to grate the zucchini, but you can just as easily use a box grater and do it by hand.
Dry sautéing
I find that for making veggie burgers, oil often has the opposite effect that we think it will have. Instead of binding your ingredients together, it causes them to pull apart. That’s why I recommend you sauté the onion and zucchini in a medium-hot skillet (or non-stick pan) with no oil. Normally when you dry sauté, you need to add a little water to keep the veggies from sticking, but by sautéing the onion together with the grated zucchini, you probably won’t need to add water. Zucchini is very water-rich and by the time the onion is soft and translucent, the zucchini will be cooked, too.
Spices
If you’re short on spices, use what you’ve got. You could easily just use 2 tablespoons of chili powder and call it a day, for instance. And, if you want spicier burgers, add a 1/4t of cayenne.
Weeknight Black Bean Burgers
Makes 6 burgers
Ingredients
1 cup small diced yellow onion (about 1 medium-small onion)
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 T ground flaxseed
2 1/2 T water
1 can black beans ( or 1 3/4 cups cooked black beans)
1 cup quinoa (cooked)
1 T chili powder
1 t garlic granules
2 t cumin
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 cup brown rice flour
Avocado oil (optional)
Directions
1. If you’ll be baking the burgers, preheat your oven to 400F. If you prefer to pan-fry your burgers, there’s no need to preheat the oven.
2. Line a sturdy baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Dry sauté the onion and zucchini together over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the flax egg by mixing together the ground flaxseed and 2 1/2 T of water in a very small bowl. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes.
5. Place the black beans in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to break them up a bit.
6. When the onion and zucchini are cooked, add them to the mixing bowl with the black beans, along with the quinoa, spices, sea salt, and flax egg. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix everything together (I think using your hands is easier).
7. Mix in the brown flour, a bit at a time, until you have a burger ‘dough’ that can be easily shaped into patties (I used the whole 1/2 cup but you might be able to use less, depending how wet the rest of your ingredients were).
6. Shape into 6 evenly-sized burgers. I use a round cookie cutter to make burgers that are 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch tall.
7. Heat a teaspoon or two of avocado oil oil in a skillet over medium heat; I used a cast iron skillet. Add the burgers, being careful not to crowd the pan (you may need to do this in batches). Cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional five minutes.
8. Alternatively, you can bake these for 20 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet at 400F, flipping after 10 minutes. This is a good no-oil alternative and the better choice if you decide to make a batch and then freeze them to reheat for later.
9. Serve the burgers with your favorite toppings- avocado, salsa, and cashew sour cream are good choices!
Enjoy!
