Crispy black bean burgers
Smoky, crisp-edged patties made from canned beans and a handful of oats, sturdy enough to flip and good enough to crave.
- 40 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.03 a serving
- 510 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- 1 large egg
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 slices cheddar cheese (optional)
- ½ cup salsa (optional)
- 1 avocado, sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 510 calories, 22 g protein, 73 g carbs and 16 g fat, and costs about $1.03 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No hamburger buns? Brioche buns work.
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese or mexican blend cheese works.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Spread the beans on a clean kitchen towel and them very dry.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Dolly’s tip: Dry beans make burgers that hold together. Wet ones turn mushy in the pan.Put the beans in a large bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher until about three-quarters are smashed and a few whole beans remain.
Add the oats, egg, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and soy sauce and mix well with a fork.
Let it sit 10 minutes so the oats soak up the moisture, then shape into 4 patties about ¾ inch thick.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Wet your hands so the mix doesn’t stick. If it’s too soft to hold a shape, add another spoonful of oats.Toast the buns cut side down in a dry large over medium heat, about 1 minute, and set them aside.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over medium heat until it . Add the patties and cook without moving them for 5 minutes, until a dark crust forms.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Flip gently with a wide spatula, add the last tablespoon of oil around them, and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until and hot through. Lay cheddar on each for the last minute.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Medium heatTimer: 4 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: They’re more delicate than beef. Slide the spatula all the way under before you lift.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Build the burgers on the toasted buns with salsa and sliced avocado.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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