This might be one of the longest recipe titles I have ever written, but I feel like every single word is necessary to convey how epic this burger is. I modeled this burger after one of my absolute favorite restaurant veggie burgers: The Vegetarian Southwest Black Bean Burger from Iron Hill Brewery. I couldn’t tell you the exact ingredients that Iron Hill uses, but I know that the burger is amazing. My copycat burger has mashed black beans and sweet potatoes, onion, corn, jalapeno, and quinoa, along with some spices for added southwestern flavor. I topped off the burger with light cheddar cheese an easy buffalo mayo to kick up the heat factor. You can add as much or as little hot sauce to the mayo as you like to make the spice factor perfect for you. These burgers are MESSY. The burger patty is nice and soft and with the sauce and additional toppings, you will definitely be needing some napkins. I usually serve this burger with a veggie side dish/salad instead of fries because there is already potato in the burger patty. DON’T SKIP THE TOPPINGS if you can help it. The avocado, red onion, lettuce, and tomato are technically optional but they are absolutely amazing on this burger.
TIP: Toasting the bun helps the burger feel more sturdy and it will be slightly less messy to eat.
NOTE: The burger patty itself is Vegan. You can easily use Veganaise or Nayonaise instead of the Mayo and leave off the cheese. Still an amazingly delicious burger!
Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 5
Ingredients:
For the Burgers: ¼ cup quinoa 1 sweet potato 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed ¼ cup onion 1/3 cup frozen corn, thawed 1 jalapeno 1 teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon paprika ½ cup breadcrumbs 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 slices reduced fat cheddar cheese (I used Sargento)
For the Sauce:
¼ cup light mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons of hot sauce
For serving: whole wheat burger buns, sliced avocado, sliced tomato, sliced red onion, lettuce
Directions: Cook quinoa according to package directions. While the quinoa is cooking, poke some holes in the sweet potato with a fork or a knife and microwave until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the onion and seed and dice the jalapeno. Mash the black beans in a large bowl with a potato masher or a fork until you see very few whole beans. Cut open the sweet potato and scrape the potato into the bowl with the black beans, discarding the skin. Add the cooked quinoa, chopped onion, corn, jalapeno, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and breadcrumbs. Mix until combined. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Shape the burgers into 5 patties. Place in the skillet and cook about 3 minutes on each side, until slightly browned. In the last minute of cooking, add the sliced cheddar cheese.
For the sauce, combine mayo and desired amount of hot sauce in a small bowl.
Nutrition Information per serving (with bun, cheese, and sauce):
Calories: 497 Fat: 17g Carbs: 67g Protein: 21g Sodium: 845mg Sugar: 9g
*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.
