I was craving for a burger few weeks ago for whatever reason (no, not pregnant…again! Not funny I know), but I sure kept thinking about it. If you ever browsed through the recipes on this blog, I can tell you that I don’t have many recipes for burgers. Not because I dislike them. In fact, I like burgers, especially a “fancy” kind. I just hardly ever fixed them at home. It’s something that we will eat out every now and then. So, back to the “fancy” part. When I said fancy, I meant like those that topped with onion rings, special sauce, etc and looked oh-so gourmet !! I saw this black bean cheeseburgers recipe on cooking light magazine and immediately I knew I gotta tried it. I love all-beef patties, but the black bean patties really intrigued me to give it a try. It didn’t disappoint for sure. Hubby and daughter loved it. So, this is an awesome and hearty burger and kinda satisfy that cravings of mine in a way! Have I mentioned so much more healthier too ? That green chile relish is THE BOMB!! I think the burger will be oh-so lonely without it. What a great way to incorporate some beans into your diet without feeling like you are eating beans (if you know what I mean!)
Ingredients
- 6 whole-wheat hamburger buns toasted
- 1/2 cup of baby spinach
- 6 slices of 1/2-inch red onion rings
- 6 slices of cheddar cheese
- Cooking oil
Green chile:
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 large Poblano pepper
- 1 serrano chile
- 1 medium tomatillo
- 1/4 of red onion finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 small bunch of fresh cilantro leaves
Black bean patty:
- 15 oz of canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup of cremini mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/2 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Turn your broiler to high. Place 4 garlics, poblano pepper, serrano chile and tomatillo in a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place it in the oven and broil until they are lightly charred and turn them once. Place them in a large mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let it stand for 10 minutes. Uncover, and peel off the skin of the peppers and tomatillo. Put them into the food processor and add in the rest of the ingredients for the green chile and pulse to mix everything. Set aside. Wash the food processor to get ready to prepare the black bean patty
- Place the black beans, mushrooms and garlic in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add in the bread crumbs, cumin salt, and egg and pulse again until mix. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Divide the black bean mixture into 6 equal portion and shape with your wet hands into around 1/2-inch thick patties
- Heat a large non-stick skillet (with cover) over medium heat. Add in about 1 Tbsp of cooking oil and swirl to pan to coat. Add in the patties and cook for about 10 minutes and then flip to the other side. Place one slice of cheese on the patty and cook for another 2 minutes. Cover the skillet and cook until the cheese melts
Assembling the burgers
- Place a small handful of baby spinach leaves on the bottom half of each bun. Top with the black bean patty and followed by one red onion ring. Smothered some of the green chile on top of this and top with the other halves of the buns and serve immediately
