The Daring Kitchen: Black Bean Burgers

Blog-checking lines: The Daring Cooks’ February 2012 challenge was hosted by Audax & Lis and they chose to present Patties for their ease of construction, ingredients and deliciousness! We were given several recipes, and learned the different types of binders and cooking methods to produce our own tasty patties!

I've been wanting to try my hand at making black bean burgers for a long time now.  Pure laziness on my part is the only reason why I haven't made them yet.  Man, I could kick myself for not making them sooner!  These burgers were AWESOME!  They will definitely be something that I will make to keep on hand for myself.  Don't worry dear husband... your patties will forever be with meat :-)  I used canned black beans and rinsed and drained them.  The trick is to let them drain completely.  You do not want to be adding excess moisture to these.

Annies Eats even had a recipe for Light Brioche Burger Buns that I made... Supper yummy!  What a great challenge this was.

Black Bean Burgers

adapted from Annies Eats

Yield: 6 burgers
Ingredients:

for the crumbs:

1 cup panko
 2 tsp. olive oil

For the bugers

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I like the added heat so increased it from the original 1/4 teaspoon)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried cilantro flakes, (you could easily add 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro but I'm not that huge of a fan and prefer the taste of the dried)
1 small onion, finely diced

Directions:

I think this was the key to making these burgers over the top, so don't omit this step! Toast the panko in a skillet, over medium high heat with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.  Stir frequently until the crumbs turn a light golden brown.

In a large bowl, mash 2 1/2 cups of the beans until almost smooth.  I had to use a fork to get them started and then was able to use a potato masher to finish it up.  Whisk together the two large eggs; add to beans. Add the remaining ingredients, including the toasted panko, and blend well (I used my hands for this).

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, about ½ cup each. Lightly pack into 1-inch thick patties. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until well browned on both sides, about 8-10 minutes total.  Serve warm.

Burgers can be made and refrigerated ahead of time, up to 24 hours.