Spicy Black Bean Burgers

Spicy Black Bean Burgers OR Meatless Taco Filling


Making your own veggie burgers at home is as simple as a few ingredients and a food processor.  Homemade bean burgers do not have the same texture as the store bought, frozen varieties, but are delicious, cheap and easy to make.  Plus, you can use the mix in a variety of ways.  Bean burgers on buns, or cooked like you would ground beef and used as filler for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc.  With this recipe I made two healthy sized burgers and fried up the rest as a filling for tacos.  I made six tacos and have enough left over for one or two more.  Use ¼ cup of Vegannaise in place of the egg to make this recipe vegan.

1 14 oz can of black beans, really well drained
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
½ cup raw potato, roughly chopped
1 egg (or ¼ cup vegannaise)
½ tbs red pepper
Salt and pepper
Canola Oil, for frying

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well mixed but not pureed. Let sit for a few minutes to a half and hour, if time allows. Shape the burgers with wet hands, making the patties as big or small as you like.

Be sure to let the oil get nice and hot before adding the burgers. Fry over medium heat, handling them as little as possible—five minutes undisturbed on each side should give them a nice crispy exterior.  Serve on buns with all the fixings you like.

For a meatless ground beef style filling, put mixture into frying pan on medium heat and resist stirring until nicely browned on the bottom.  Stir and break up, as you would ground beef, careful to let it sit a bit after every stir.