Cook it Fresh

Morningstar black bean burger on the left, homemade on the right

Vegetarian burgers have never held much appeal to me.  The ones I have eaten in the past tasted bland and had a rather rubbery texture but lately I have seen several recipes for black bean burgers and that looked like a promisingly tasty alternative to meat burgers.  Never having tried frozen black bean burgers, I undertook a search that culminated with a trip to walmart (of all places) where I found a box of Morningstar spicy black bean burgers in the freezer section.  I originally assumed that Whole Foods would be the place to look for this rather exotic frozen specialty, but they didn’t carry any black bean burgers at all!  It is safe to say that this experience challenged all my vegetarian frozen food assumptions.

Anyhow, on to the homemade recipe.  I recently saw a recipe for black bean burgers in a vegetarian cookbook that I checked out from the library, but this recipe sounded a bit bland and boring so I decided to spice them up with some chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, lime juice, and a bit of added salt.

Chipotle Lime Black Bean Burgers

Adapted from Good Housekeeping Vegetarian Meals:  Favorite Recipes

Makes 4 medium burgers

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 Tablespoons sour cream

1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs

1 Tablespoon sauce from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce plus one chile finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Whole-wheat pitas halved, or whole wheat buns

Suggested toppings:  Sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, shredded lettuce, wedges of lime, etc.

1.  Using a fork or potato masher, mash together the black beans and sour cream in a medium mixing bowl until the beans are fairly smooth, but some larger pieces of bean remain.

2.  Add 1 Tablespoon of the breadcrumbs, adobo sauce and chopped chile, cilantro, cumin, salt and lime juice to the bean mixture; stir until well combined.  Place the rest of the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl or dish.

3.  Divide the bean mixture into 4 equal portions and then, using slightly damp hands, form each portion into a flat, round patty.  Coat each patty with a thin layer of the remaining breadcrumbs and set aside.

4.  Heat the oil in a medium non-stick skillet on medium-high heat until hot.  Add the four black bean patties to the pan and cook until browned and heated through, about 3 minutes on each side.  Serve each patty in half of a whole-wheat pita pocket or on thin whole-wheat buns with toppings of your choice.

The first thing we all noticed after biting into the homemade and store bought burgers, was the difference in texture.  The Morningstar black bean patties felt and tasted very meaty while the homemade burgers were quite soft.  If you want to grill your black bean burgers, then the frozen patties would be a much better option since the homemade ones would probably disintegrate on the grill.  I was surprised that the homemade patties also tasted a bit bland; even with my addition of a hearty helping of adobo sauce and lime juice, they certainly were not as flavorful as the store bought variety.  The first ingredient in the Morningstar burgers was soy protein, meaning that they were not perhaps truly black bean burgers, but rather soy burgers containing some black beans.  The soy protein added a meatier feel and taste to the burgers that I’m not sure how to replicate at home.  However, the homemade burgers were not all bad and I will definitely give them another try with the addition of some extra hot sauce and maybe a tad extra salt.

The homemade black bean burgers did take a bit more time and effort than the frozen variety, but they were a surprisingly quick recipe, taking about 15 minutes from start to finish.  They would certainly qualify as a fast weeknight dinner or lunch entree.  The Morningstar burgers took only about 7 minutes to cook and required no clean up afterwards.  The homemade burgers were almost half the price of the frozen variety for 4 burgers making them a good choice if you are going to be making black bean burgers a lot.

If you are a vegetarian, or do a lot of vegetarian cooking, please give me some tips for making vegetarian burgers taste and feel meaty!

Bottom Line: Homemade black bean burgers are a quick, hearty vegetarian meal that is also fairly economical, but they do not have the meaty texture or flavor of the frozen variety.  Morningstar frozen black bean patties are actually mostly made of soy protein, but they have a firmer texture making them better for grilling.

The prices below do not include the buns or toppings for the burgers.