For better than a third of my life I was a vegetarian and veggie burgers were a regular staple in my diet. For that reason I asked John to take the lead in making this recipe, so that I wouldn’t be as tempted to exert my experience into the mix.
(11) Black Bean Veggie Burgers
see link for recipe source
I chose this recipe based on the fact that we had frozen black beans on hand and most black bean burger recipes I was able to find specifically call for canned beans which would have required us to deviate from the recipe as written.
John didn’t believe that the recipe would actually deliver on the 10 large burgers it claimed to yield, but to be as true to the recipe as possible, he weighed the finished mix and came up with a total of 25 ounces.
The mix was then broken down into 10 equal portions of 2.5 ounces each.
We formed the patties as directed and fried 4 of the 10, as two veggie burgers for each of us seemed like plenty of food. In reality, it was enough for both of us to be full and satisfied and we have 6 frozen burgers for another dinner and lunch all out of one recipe.
Verdict: Flavor-wise the burgers are delicious, with none of the generally dominant flavors in the recipe standing out more than any other. The flavors all meshed well together.
As to the instruction in the recipe, I feel that there should have been more information given about how to handle veggie patties that are far more fragile than meat burgers. More cooking time would have produced a firmer texture with more tooth, but there was nothing that made this burger a negative experience whatsoever.
Half an hour later, John said “mmmm, I could eat another one”
One final note on the nutritional differences between this recipe and a comparable beef burger of the same weight:
Calories:
- Beef Burger: 168
- Black Bean Burger: 104
- TOTAL SAVINGS OF 64 CALORIES
Fat:
- Beef Burger: 11.5 grams
- Black Bean Burger: 3 grams
- TOTAL SAVINGS OF 8.5 GRAMS
Those on low carb or low sodium diets will want to skip this one, as the black bean burger weighs in at 3 times the carbs and sodium as the comparable beef burger. When you factor in the 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber though, this is one delicious and health-conscious choice that we strongly recommend.
