The following is a guest post by fellow blogger and author, Andie Mitchell.
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Hi, I’m Andie Mitchell! I’m the author of two books and the founder of AndieMitchell.com, a site where I share wholesome recipes and inspiration to live a balanced life. Last year, I published my memoir, It Was Me All Along, sharing my lifelong struggle with weight and the journey I took to lose 135 pounds and create a healthy relationship with food. This past March, just over a year later, I released a cookbook, Eating in the Middle: A Mostly Wholesome Cookbook. And what I love most about these books is that they feel like good companions.
When I wrote Eating in the Middle, I wanted it to represent the way I eat today, so it’s roughly 80% wholesome (for everyday eating) and 20% indulgent (for sweet treats and celebration meals worth sharing). That, to me, is balance. I spent one too many years swinging back and forth between dieting and overeating or between eating clean and eating anything, and all any of that ever did was cause me to gain weight, obsess over food, and stay stuck in my all-or-nothing thinking. It took me a long time to find a middle ground, which is what the philosophy of “eating in the middle” is – finding your balance between healthy and happy.
In the 80 recipes, I share the healthy meals I have most of the time, like Lemon Roasted Chicken with Moroccan Couscous or Butternut Squash Salad with Kale and Pomegranate, and the treats and meals I have some of the time, like Peanut Butter Mousse Pie with Marshmallow Whipped Cream, because I grew up baking with my mom, and a good dessert, to me, is always worth it. Regardless of the recipe, the goal I have in cooking is always the same: create big flavor.
These loaded black bean burgers deliver on that big flavor promise with garlic, spices like chili and cumin, a kick of heat from cayenne, and the fresh, bright flavor of cilantro. But all of that flavor isn’t what gives them their “loaded” name; it’s the fact that they’re chock-full of good-for-you ingredients like carrots, bell pepper, black beans, scallions, and quick-cooking oats. All of these ingredients fill the burgers with fiber and make them wholesome enough for everyday eating, and that’s a very, very good thing because they’re completely delicious.
No matter what your favorite burger normally is, these loaded black bean patties are worth trying. Feel free to bake them instead of pan-frying, and leftovers are encouraged since they freeze well, too!
Try these healthy Chicken Burgers too!
Loaded Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 green onions (white and light-green parts, cut in half)
- 2 carrots (large, cut into a few pieces)
- ½ bell pepper (red, seeded, ribs removed, and cut into a few pieces)
- ¼ cup cilantro (packed)
- 1 15-oz can black beans (rinsed and drained)
- ½ cup oats (quick-cooking)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 egg
- 3 teaspoons olive oil (extra virgin)
- 4 whole-wheat buns (split)
- 4 leaves romaine lettuce
- 1 Roma tomato (sliced)
- 1 red onion (small, thinly sliced)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the scallions, carrots, bell pepper, and cilantro and pulse until the vegetables are finely chopped, 2 or 3 pulses. Transfer the veggies to a large bowl.
- Put the beans into the food processor and pulse until finely chopped, 2 or 3 pulses. Add the black beans to the bowl.
- Put the oats into the food processor and pulse until finely ground. Transfer the oats to the bowl and add the garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, salt, ketchup, and egg. Mix well and form into 4 equal patties.
- In a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat, heat 1½ teaspoons of the oil. Add 2 of the patties and cook until crisp on one side, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until the second side is crisp, about 4 more minutes. Transfer to a warm plate. Add the remaining 1½ teaspoons of oil to the skillet and repeat the cooking process with the remaining 2 patties.
- To serve, put the hamburger buns on a clean work surface, place a patty on each of the 4 bottom halves, and layer each with a romaine leaf, a fourth of the tomato slices, a few red onion rings, and finally the top halves of the buns.
- The cooked, cooled patties will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze, put the patties on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and freeze until completely firm, about 3 hours. Transfer the frozen patties to a large resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
My family thought these were a hit! I thought they were good but definitely needed the buns and other toppings. They were just “okay” eaten alone. I doubled the recipe due to the amount of food my son typically eats but that may not have been needed. I think that I could have made 5 or 6 patties out of one recipe as is. I ended up with 8 patties when doubled and a good bit left over. Will try to make nuggets with the remaining mixture like one poster suggested. Thanks for the recipe and for helping us to get in extra veggies today!
Just made these and they were delicious! I’m so glad I doubled the recipe! I ate my burger on a salad with Lisa’s cilantro-lime crema drizzled on top. I also made some “nuggets” using a small cookie scoop to scoop balls out on a parchment paper lined pan, then flattened them down slightly and baked at 375 for 10 min on each side. My kids loved them this way!
I made these with garbanzo beans. It worked well, they were yummy!
I tried this recipe last night and it was the best veggie burger I ever made! I didn’t have chilli so I used paprika and chipotle instead. Thanks for helping my family stay healthy!
If baking in the oven, what temperature and for how long?
Hi Colleen. You might use this as a baking guide: http://www.food.com/recipe/baked-black-bean-veggie-burgers-361316.
These burgers will become part of our meal rotation. Really simple and delicious! Thank you!
Andie, I saw you on GMA a few months back and the message behind your book is so eye opening. I was so inspired by your weight loss and change! Thank you for sharing your recipe on my favorite blog!!
Which ingredient(s) is driving up the sodium content?
Salt and ketchup?
Christina, I think the canned beans would add a good bit to the sodium content.
Do you think these burgers could be grilled? It’s so difficult to find a veggie burger recipe that can be grilled and not totally fall apart.
I tried them the other day but was not successful on the BBQ. I ended up pan-frying them instead. Quick and easy.
More and more friends are becoming vegetarian, and I myself am unenthusiastic about meat. So this is going to be tried out this weekend at a barbecue. Perfect timing.