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Dining with the Doc: Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers

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I have a lot of vegetarian followers and they’re always asking me for hearty, vegetarian recipes. One of them recently asked me to create a good vegetarian burger.  I love to make burgers and have competed in several burger contests but I have to admit that I’m not as experienced with making veggie burgers.  With traditional burgers, it’s simply a matter of mixing ground meat with flavorings and putting some interesting toppings on.  But making a great veggie burger is a bit more complex.  First of all, I wanted to make sure that these meat-free burgers were filling and hearty enough to satisfy a serious hunger craving.  Secondly, I wanted to infuse the burgers with lots of interesting flavors and textures.  And finally, I wanted to ensure that the burgers were sturdy enough so that they wouldn’t fall apart during the cooking process.  For any of you carnivores out there who think you don’t like veggie burgers, I hope my Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers will change your mind.

 

For the main base of my burger, I decided to use nutritious, hearty black beans and quinoa.  Black beans are packed with protein and fiber along with several essential vitamins and minerals like B complex vitamins, potassium, magnesium and iron.  They’re also loaded with antioxidants, which help prevent chronic diseases.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain-like crop that’s recently become very popular because of its numerous health benefits but it’s actually been around for centuries. It has many unique qualities and health benefits such as a very high protein content (about twice that of regular cereal grains), which makes it a great source of protein for vegetarians.  It is also a good source of dietary fiber and several vitamins and minerals including B complex vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium.  And it’s gluten-free which makes it a nice option for people who are gluten-intolerant.  Quinoa is not only a great choice for vegetarians, but also for anyone trying to cut down their intake of refined, processed carbohydrates while increasing their whole grains.

 

Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers | @foodiephysician

It’s important to get the right combination of ingredients so that the burgers have a good texture and aren’t a mushy mess when you bite into them.  To add texture to the patties, I kept some of the black beans whole and also added in some sweet corn.  Then came the issue of the patties falling apart.  The first time I made these burgers, they came out loose and fell apart while cooking so I knew I needed to add some kind of binder.  After searching through my cabinets, I decided to use old fashioned oats.

Although most of us think of oats as mainly a breakfast food, they are actually quite versatile.  If you grind them up in a food processor, they form crumbs that can successfully be used to add fiber and bulk to meatloaf, meatballs and veggie burgers- much more nutritious than using traditional breadcrumbs. Oats are whole grains that are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Because they are packed with fiber, they help lower cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease.  Oats have also been shown to help control blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy blood pressure.  The fiber will also keep you feeling full for a long time thereby cutting down on snacking.

I wanted to infuse my burgers with lots of spices and flavorings so I decided to go with a Southwest theme and use chipotles in adobo, which are canned, smoked jalapeno peppers.  In addition to the chipotles, I mix in cumin, cilantro, onions and garlic.  It’s important to refrigerate the patties for several hours before cooking them as this will help them hold their shape. I bake my patties in the oven at 400 degrees F, which produces a nice golden crust on the outside but if you prefer, you can pan fry them in a small amount of oil.  I serve my veggie burgers on multigrain Kaiser rolls topped with slices of avocado, a handful of baby greens and a cooling yogurt sauce but feel free to customize your burger any way you like.  I like to serve them with my Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges on the side.  One tip- if you have leftover patties, store them in the freezer.  Then you can enjoy a delicious and healthy vegetarian meal any night of the week.

Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Burger
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Patties:
  • ½ cup quinoa
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 cans black beans (15.5 oz each), rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 large egg or flax egg*
  • ⅔ cup cooked corn (canned or fresh)
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon minced chipotles in adobo
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup rolled oats, ground into crumbs
Cilantro Yogurt Sauce:
  • 1 cup reduced fat or nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons minced chipotles in adobo + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
Other:
  • 8 multigrain hamburger rolls, lightly toasted
  • Avocado slices, tomatoes and cilantro leaves for topping (optional)
Instructions
  1. Place the quinoa in a small saucepan along with 1 cup of water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and cover the pan. Cook 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Remove from heat.
  2. Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until onions are softened, 5-6 minutes. Place the mixture in a large bowl. Add approximately 1½ cans of black beans to the bowl and using a potato masher or fork, mash all of the ingredients together until a pasty mixture forms.
  3. Stir in the remaining beans along with the tomato paste, egg, corn, cilantro, chipotles, cumin and salt. Stir in the cooked quinoa and ground oats until evenly distributed.
  4. Form the mixture into 8 equal patties, compacting them well with your hands as you form them. Place the patties on a baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
  5. To make the yogurt sauce, puree the yogurt, chipotles, adobo sauce, cilantro, lime juice, and honey together in a mini food processor until smooth.
  6. When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and place the patties on the sheet. Cook 10-12 minutes until the patties are golden brown and crispy, then carefully flip the over and cook another 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can pan fry the patties in a skillet with a little olive oil. Serve the patties on the buns with the cilantro yogurt sauce and toppings of your choice.
Notes
* To make a flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Use in recipe in place of 1 egg.

* Because of the wide variety of buns and toppings, the nutritional info above only includes the patties and yogurt sauce. I used Arnold Select multi-grain Kaiser rolls, which have 150 calories, 1.5g fat, 0 sat. fat, 6g protein, 27g carbs and 3g fiber per roll.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: One burger (patty plus sauce) Calories: 281 Fat: 3.7g Saturated fat: 0.7g Carbohydrates: 47.3g Fiber: 12.6g Protein: 16g
 

 

 

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Comments

  2. I am trying this. I have always wanted a vegetarian-type hamburger, but they usually have a yuck factor. This one looks awesome and I think my meat-loving husband would like these too.

    This looks like it would be good with a whole-grain roll.

  3. This looks great! Question: Can these be made in batches and put in the freezer for later use? I'd love to make a big batch of these and have them pattied-up and ready to bake. Would it change the baking instructions if they were frozen? Thanks in advance!

    • Yes, definitely! Freeze them individually and then you can reheat them in the oven. You can still bake them at 400 degrees but they will probably need a slightly longer cooking time if you bake them directly from the freezer.

  5. Oh, Sonali! I really have to make these! They look totally fabulous and I love the make-ahead factor. You have me thinking of some possibilities….

  7. This looks really good! I love the use of chipotle chiles and cilantro to spice things up. I'll be giving this one a try!

    • Thanks, Wendy! I love adding chipotles to all different types of dishes- they add so much flavor. Let me know how it goes if you try the recipe!

  9. Finally, the long awaited veggie burger and a healthy one.Adding crushed oats is a great idea to hold the patty together.I cannot wait to try it.

  11. I love black bean burgers and I can't wait to try these. Even though we do eat meat, I think veggie burgers are great and I love having them in the freezer to throw on the grill and make for lunch. The flavors in yours will make the burgers come alive and I am laughing at how much this recipe resembles one I have for Chocolate Chunk and Cherry Cookies!
    Enjoy your Fourth Sonali!

    • Thanks Sarah! Here's the nutritional info for the patties alone: 266 calories, 3.6g fat, 0.66g saturated fat, 14.1g protein, 45.5g carbs, 12.6g fiber. I hope you like them!

  14. This was my first attempt at black bean burgers. I served four friends and each one thought the burgers were really great. The accompanying sauce was a real hit too. The only thing I did different was I used a food processor to grind up all the black beans. It was stiff in the processor, so I added two eggs ( instead of the one large egg the recipe called for) and the tomato paste, then added the rest of the ingredients. I fried the burgers on both sides then put them in therein for thirteen minutes at 375. Yummmmmmm. Thanks for the recipe!

  15. If I plan on making these and know that I'm going to freeze some, should they be cooked and then frozen? Or should I freeze them and cook 'em when they thaw?

    Thanks! Can't wait to try these!

    • You can do either but will probably get better results if you freeze them raw and cook them when they're thawed out. Thanks for stopping by!

  19. these were the best! My husband and I ate them ofr three days running with no complaints. I had no quinoa so I subbed bulgar which may made them harder to stick together. and we used guacamole form the supermarket because there were no ripe avocados handy. All good! I will make these again.
    thanks:)

  20. Is there a substitution for the corn, since most of it is genetically modified (and the scourge of the human race, as my doctor calls it!)??

  21. I can not believe I missed this site in all my time on the internet. So far the recipes look devine

  22. This has become a standard burger recipe that I hand out for my vegetarian friends. They love it, so healthy.

  23. I loved this veggie burger! I went with my own flair since I magically mixed up ingredients and such, but the entire family loved them. The pictures for my blog turned out so lovely, too! I topped the burgers with an avocado and Greek yogurt sauce. Cannot wait to make these again.

  24. This recipe is amazing! My first time making homemade veggie burgers and the yogurt sauce, everyone enjoyed them. Definitely, I will make these again.

    • Hi. You can try a mixture of 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons warm water. Let it stand for a few minutes to thicken up before using.

  26. Best Veggie Burgers I have ever made, My Husband was so excited when I packed them for his lunch, he called me right away and said "Please tell me there's more of these at home!" Thanks for the great recipe.

  28. These burgers are the absolute best! My husband is super picky, and even he loves these, as do my five-year-old and three-year-old. I've made them at least a dozen times, and it is always worth the time invested. So I figured it was high time that I express my appreciation! Thank you, Sonali, for developing and sharing such a healthy, delicious, frugal and family-friendly recipe.

    • This is one of the best comments ever! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave it, it means so much to me. I'm so happy that these are such a hit with you and your family!!

  29. We have a corn allergy. Can I just leave the corn out or do I have to replace it with something? Thanks!

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