BBQ season is finally here! Now, if you’re like me, all you’re craving is a juicy steak and a saucy rack of ribs. However, there’s definitely a time and place for a yummy veggie-friendly burger.
These veggie burgers are a staple for my group of friends, originating from Jack’s Veggie Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook. Heather and I ate them at least every couple of weeks in Morocco, because the ingredients are easy to find almost everywhere. The burgers are made from a bunch of vegetables and black beans. This particular recipe calls for mushrooms and red onions, but I’ve made them with any combinations of carrots, peppers, celery, and zucchini! They key is cooking down the veggies for a good while, so they get really soft and blendable.
Once you make a big batch of burgers, they only take about 10 minutes to grill. I cook ’em up in my cast iron pan, but they could definitely be done on a real BBQ. They’re also EXCELLENT for breakfast: served open-faced on a piece of toast, topped with a fried egg.
This recipe isn’t a substitute for burgers – as nothing can replace a juicy, pink-on-the-inside beef patty – but they’re delicious in their own right! Serve ’em with all the trimmings: mayo, mustard, ketchup, sriracha, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. I had these guys on a toasted cheese bun for the photoshoot, and they were out of this world. Easy and healthy – enjoy!!
Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers
Adapted from The Sriracha Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 8 oz (1 package) cremini or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup Sriracha
- 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms. Sauté until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Transfer to a food processor and add the beans, egg, cilantro, garlic, Sriracha, soy sauce, pepper, and 1 cup of bread crumbs.
- Pulse just until combined, with some chunky bean bits still intact. Form the mixture into 4 patties and let sit while you preheat the grill or skillet. If the patties aren’t firm enough to hold their shape, incorporate additional bread crumbs by hand, then form into patties again.
- Lightly oil a grill or skillet and preheat to medium-high heat. Using a spatula, gently transfer the patties onto the grill. Cook until well browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total, gently flipping once about halfway through.
- Lightly toast buns in the last minute or two of cooking, either on the grill or under the broiler.
- Load each burger up with tomato slices, avocado, spinach, mustard, mayo, ketchup, and more sriracha! Serve immediately.
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