Sweet Potato Burger & Black Bean Mushroom Burger
These veggie burgers are adaptable, customizable and easy peasy to make. Oh, you only have black beans? That’s fine! Your partner got chickpeas instead of cannelloni beans? No problem! You went overboard on random veggies at the market? Don’t sweat it!
The Recipe Redux challenge this month is Healthy Lunch Ideas. It’s easy to get in a lunch rut, bored and tired of the usual mainstays, with no inspiration, but this recipe will banish the lunch humdrumness for sure!
I’ve made black bean mushroom burgers, sweet potato burgers, eggplant chickpea burgers, and there are just so many more combinations I want to try. Now, I’m not going to promise any combination you come up with is going to be ok. If you decide to combine peanuts and brussels sprouts, I will not be responsible for any belly ache afterwards!
This recipe has 5 main parts, an onion/garlic saute, choice of veggie, choice of beans, choice of nuts and bread crumbs. As long as you keep the measurements the same, you’ll be fine. And even then, if it looks off a bit, not quite the consistency you want, you can always adjust the breadcrumbs.
There it is, lunch for the week all set. And it’s healthy. Oh, and did you notice how inexpensive they are to make? I got all the ingredients for the mushroom burger for about $7.00 which makes them around .87 cents per burger. And depending on the veggie you use, you could probably make them even cheaper.
These burgers can be pan fried or baked, the choice is yours. You can cook them all up for the week and store them in the fridge to take for lunch each day. Or, you can freeze them, wrapped in parchment or wax paper and then in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.
I always have a bunch of these burgers in the freezer for those nights I don’t feel like putting much effort into dinner. They’re great to have on hand for all occasions.
Some Suggestions To Get You Started
Beans: chickpea, cannelloni, butter, kidney, pinto, black, navy, great northern, or lentils
Veggies: mushrooms, peppers, sweet potato, eggplant, butternut squash, carrots, beets, or a combination of any of these.
Nuts: walnuts, cashews, pecans, pine nuts. pistachios
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, peeled & chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 2½ cups veggies **
- 2 15 oz cans beans, drained (3 cups)
- 1 cup nuts
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (gluten-free or regular)
- salt & pepper to taste
- any spices you want, to taste
- In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over med-low for a minute, then add the onions, garlic and veggies (if you are sauteing them). Cook until onions are translucent and veggies are thoroughly cooked, 6-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor pulse the beans in individual batches, one kind at a time and then add to a medium mixing bowl. You want them to be small pea size chunks and smaller, put not pureed, so to add texture to the burgers.
- **You can do all the chopping of the beans, nuts & saute by hand if you don't have a food processor.**
- Next pulse the nuts 10 seconds, again to small pieces and add them to the bowl.
- Then pulse the onion saute and add it to the bowl.
- If you baked or roasted your veggies, either mash them or give them a few pulses in the food processor so they are pea size and broken up a bit.
- Add the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and spices and mix together thoroughly.
- You should be able to form the mix into cohesive balls. You can add more breadcrumbs if needed.
- I use a ½ cup measuring cup to measure out the burger mix, then form them into patties.
- Pan fry: Fry in a couple tablespoons of oil, 8 minutes each side until browned and crispy tops.
- Bake: Bake at 400F on a lightly oiled sheet pan for 12 minutes, then flip and bake for another 12 minutes. I also like to spray the top of the burgers lightly with cooking spray to get that crispy pan fried like texture.
- Refrigerate: Can be kept uncooked in the fridge for 4-5 days before cooking.
- Freeze: Separate patties with parchment paper between each one, then wrap in tinfoil.
- To bake from frozen: Bake on a lightly oiled sheet pan at 425F, 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15 minutes.
What kind of veggie burger are you going to make? Have you made this and have a favorite combination? Share your versions with us in the comments below! I want to hear about your veggie burgers!
To see all the other awesome easy lunch ideas from my fellow Recipe Redux bloggers, click on the blue frog below!
Love the video! I’ll have to try one! 🙂
Thanks!!
First, I love the name! Second, these look amazing. I am going to try them out with my kiddos, they will love picking what to put in the burger!
Oh what a great idea! I hadn’t even thought of how kids might like to help with the ingredient choosing and also, depending on their age, making it as well. I bet they’d like forming it into patties too. I’d love to hear if you make them and what the kiddos choose!! Thanks!
I love this! I have a hard time ever sticking to a recipe, so this basic “formula” is just what I need. [I have a similar approach when it comes to making granola….]
Thanks! I have the same problem lol. I never have the right ingredients and hate making trips to the store. Is your granola recipe on your blog? That sounds great!
I love having “formulas” for recipes like this. Definitely pinning this for next time I’m in a pinch 🙂
Awesome! Let me know if you make it and what veggies you use; I’d love to hear about the combinations :-D.
The title of this post is awesome! As is the entire post of course 😉
I love how many ideas you give to make veggie burgers! I have some work to do.
“You went overboard on random veggies at the market?”
This is the story of my life, and incorporating them into veggie burgers is a great way to use them up.
Haha,thanks! I do the same thing, come home with whatever veggies appealed to me at the store then wonder what the heck I’m going to make. I rarely have a plan, which is kinda how these veggie burgers came about! Let me know if you try them and the combo you do, I’d love to hear!