Making the black bean burger patty:
Over the years we have tried dozens and dozens of veggie burgers. I’m talking store bought, restaurant house-made, as well as our own recipes. I have a separate online folder just to organize my burger recipes. But through it all, this is the recipe I come back to time and again. Not only is it delicious, but unlike many homemade burgers, it holds up well in the cooking process. These burgers also freeze well and this recipe makes quite a few burgers so it is well worth making these for dinner and freezing the leftovers for future meals. For me, the big thing to remember for an easy dinner down the road is to also freeze enough burger buns to go along with the frozen patties. For carb-loving me, there is nothing sadder than a bunless burger!
A burger with no lettuce also seems incomplete and while I grow leaf and romaine lettuce, for burgers and sandwiches, iceberg is still my favorite. Maybe everyone washes and stores iceberg the way I do, but mostly people don’t seem to know this trick. I bang the head, core-side down on the edge of the sink or the counter and then pull it out. Then I turn the head over and run cold-water down into the head until it is completely rinsed out. Turn it back over to drain and then place in storage bowl with a lid and keep in the fridge. It is washed, the leaves will stay super crisp and it is ready to pull off leaves as needed.
For forming the patties, I use this tool. While not strictly necessary, it helps make truly uniform patties. This helps with the cooking process, since all the burgers will take the same amount of time to cook through. Since these are great freezer black bean burgers, having the patties all the same size helps for stacking as well. Another useful tip is utilizing freezer paper. For a time saver, I buy these precut sheets, but of course you could also cut your own. Place them on the bottom of the burger press, then put in the burger mixture, and another on top. This insures they won’t stick together when freezing the burgers.
Go fire up your grill!
Growing Zones
Black Beans: 3-10
Carrots: 3-10
Scallions: 6-9
Iceberg Lettuce: 8-10
Learn more about your growing zone here.
Hand-Drawn Printable Recipe – Freezer Black Bean Burgers
Hearty Homemade Black Bean Burgers
Description
These hearty homemade black bean burgers are perfect for grilling up and freeze well for batch cooking. They go perfectly with our blueberry chutney and famous kailyaird coleslaw.
Ingredients
1/4 cup egg replacer such as ground flax or Bob’s Redmill egg replacer + 1/2 cup water
3 cups cooked 2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed (about 3 cups cooked if you are not using canned)
½ cup cashews
1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
3 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup (I like to use curry ketchup)
2 large carrots, shredded
¼ cup minced scallions
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
1. In a small bowl, combine the egg replacer and water. Stir and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, add cashews and process until they are like little pieces of gravel. Then add the black beans and pulse until it forms a thick and chunky paste.
3. Add the egg replacer to the bowl of the food processor along with the beans and cashews.
4. Add all of the remaining ingredients.
5. Pulse in 2 second bursts until all ingredients are completely incorporated.
6. Using a ½ cup scoop, shape into patties about a generous ½ inch thick. I like to use wax or parchment paper between the patties to keep them separated.
7. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or put in containers and freeze for later.
7. Grill, bake or fry as desired and serve as you would any burger. I particularly like these with lettuce, fat and juicy heirloom tomatoes and my blueberry chutney. Sweet potato fries make a great side as does Kailyaird’s famous coleslaw.
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