One of my favorite easy and filling dishes to make (and eat!) is a black bean burger. This has quickly become a hit with my friends and a staple weeknight dinner at our house. I think it works so well because it’s quick to make and hits the spot for both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Plus, you can make the burger mix ahead of time and refrigerate the uncooked patties for a couple days to enjoy later as well. (Meal planning, anyone?)

I used to think making burgers would be time consuming and difficult, because the first time I tried to make a veggie patty, it was a chickpea burger that I made from scratch, and without the right tools. The kitchen was a mess by the time I finished, and the patties, a bit unwieldy and falling apart.

However, once my husband bought me the Magic Bullet blender a couple years ago, I used an easy recipe that came in the recipe booklet with the appliance. It had four simple steps, so I fell in love with it. Since then, I have made many variations and have just eyeballed the measurements to my liking, but the burgers have turned out tasty each time. Though it was the Magic Bullet that gave me the recipe, nowadays I hardly use this kitchen tool to make the burgers because when I first did, the Bullet did not do a good job of blending the ingredients together smoothly. Instead, I have switched to mashing some of the ingredients together a bit first, or using my KitchenAid handheld blender, which has been one of my favorite, most reliable kitchen tools for the last four years. 

Variations from Vegan to Vegetarian

The recipe in the book is vegan, but I end up using eggs instead of flaxmeal because it’s easier to find, and I top the patty with gorgonzola crumbles for extra flavor when serving. My friends haven’t complained about this so far. 🙂

I make a larger quantity, using about 3/4 cup of cooked quinoa and 1 can of black beans, rinsed and heated on the stove top, with about a teaspoon or so of paprika for added heat. I use about 1/4 red onion, chopped, instead of a scallion, because I prefer the flavor and can use the rest of the onion in more dishes.

Serving Suggestions

One thing I like to do is make a bigger batch of the burger mix and create the uncooked patties ahead of time, place them in the fridge for up to two days to eat over the course of a few days. I have found that the patties are more likely to stay intact when you refrigerate them for a couple hours after forming them into patties. After portioning them out ahead of time and refrigerating them a bit, you can even take them to an outdoor cookout to toss onto the grill. I like to coat the patties lightly in some Panko breadcrumbs for texture as well.

For fewer carbs, you can serve the patties over a salad, which is what I like to do since I don’t care for hamburger buns. I first drizzle some balsamic vinegar over a bed of mixed greens and then place the cooked patty on top. I sprinkle a few gorgonzola crumbles, chopped green chillies, and some sliced tomato. It’s delicious!

Choose your toppings to your liking, but trust me, this one is a crowd pleaser!

Quinoa Veggie Patty

Recipe from: The Original Magic Bullet 10-Second Recipes 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 carrot
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup of black beans
• 2 Tbsp Italian seasoned dried breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp flax meal + 1 1/2 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Dash of black pepper
• Olive Oil

Method

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
2. Combine flax and water and allow to gel for about 3 mins.
3. In a blender, pulse carrots until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, onions, garlic, beans, breadcrumbs, flax mixture (or eggs), cumin, salt, and pepper. Pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. Form the mixture into even patties
4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium; cook burgers until browned, about 8 minutes per side.